Through The Eye Of The All-Father
by Real Steel Dragon
Summary: Eyes are said to be windows for the soul. But what about the eye of a god? Naruto Uzumaki had seen the world all his life through his own eyes until the day came where the impossible happened. The day when he encountered a power from a realm no one ever imagined to exist. From that day on, Naruto would see and protect his world with the power from the ruler of the Realm Eternal.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: Do not own anything of Naruto or Marvel and thus, make no profit or seek any profit from this. I do this on my own dime.

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Author's Note: Someone had started a story like this before but stopped. Can't find the author who wrote it since I don't remember the name and I can't find the story itself either, possibly been deleted. After some thinking about the idea, as well as seeing the two Thor movies, I decide to use the idea as well.

The idea, if I remember correctly, is that since in the Naruto series, there are many people who have different eyes that possess unique abilities. The three most common are the Sharingan, the Byakugan, and the Rinnegan. There are stories on this site where Naruto gets an eye but for this story, Naruto gets an eye from someone but not from his world.

One final word: the title's the same since it's one of those kinds of titles that just works for the story. I tried to think of a different title but nothing else really worked.

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 **Prologue**

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In the Realm Eternal, there have been battles that are waged between two omnipotent but equally opposite powers.

Odin, son of the mighty Bor, the first Lord of Asgard and the goddess Bestla. When the time came for Odin take the throne and become ruler of Asgard, he would become known by his people as the All-Father.

Surtur, the Fire Demon of Muspelheim and sworn enemy of inhabitants of all the Nine Realms. There are many that seek to conquer all but only this demon has both the power and will to truly conquer all of the Realms.

For these two, the battle fought between them has had more meaning than even they knew.

Eons ago, when the current ruler of Asgard was young, he and his two brothers Vili and Ve journeyed to Muspelheim to prove themselves as true warriors to their father Bor. But with their youth came the arrogance and inexperience and thus were the primary cause of the deaths of Vili and Ve by Surtur's own hands. However, before their passing, Odin's brothers passed to him their strength, which allowed Odin to defeat the Fire Demon

Though Odin had dealt a severe blow against Surtur with the combined powers of his fallen brothers, his arrogance and inexperience made him believe it was a fatal strike he had dealt to the demon. Nevertheless, the Fire Demon survived and retreated from all sight to regain his strength. While Surtur tended to his wounds, he realized that when he faced Odin again, and he would again one day, he would need an edge as well for the Son of Bor was indeed stronger than he was for now.

As the years gone by, Surtur prepared himself in both the fires of combat and the arts of various dark magic. At the same time, he study his enemy, watched him from the shadows. Odin's power did increase as well but there came a fundamental flaw in the power of the now renowned All-Father. During a certain time of the seasons, Odin had to enter into something that was called the Odinsleep. It was a time where the King of the Norse Gods had to replenish his strength through an enchanted rest and at this time was when he was the most vulnerable. All enemies of Asgard knew this fact and every time Odin enter into the Odinsleep, his kingdom was attacked from all sides in almost unimaginable and unrelenting manner.

There were times when even Surtur attacked the kingdom by sending in some of his most vicious warriors he commanded but each time was met with defeat for the forces of Asgard were equally relentless in defending their home. But through each defeat, Surtur learned more and more about his enemies. When he believed he had learned enough, Surtur use that knowledge to create the tool he would need to bring about his enemy's death.

Using every form of knowledge that he had obtained and a very part of his own soul, Surtur created the demonic blade Twilight. This very sword wielded many powers, some of which Surtur didn't think he would need in order to finally kill Odin but the Fire Demon remembered how badly he underestimated their very first battle. An unexpected edge in the middle of a battle always worked in the favor of whoever seized it.

This time he would not underestimate Odin. This time he would coat the snow-covered grounds with the blood of the All-Father and everything he had ever created.

While Surtur laid in wait for the time when Odin would enter into the Odinsleep, the Lord of Asgard himself stood on the castle wall of his kingdom and looked to the horizon with great worry in his eyes.

He had learned that once anyone wears the crown of a kingdom, be they mortal or god, an incredible heavy burden is placed on them. For all the victory feasts he hosted, all the Meade he drank and all the women he took to his bed, all of that offered only brief moments in respite. The reality of it was that until the crown came off his head, by his own hands and not by the sword, constant vigilance was the price to be ruler of all that he surveys and as Odin looked out to the horizon, he could feel something was coming.

It wasn't the foretold Ragnarok that plagued him at times but something else that would not allow any sense of ease. If Odin had to venture a guess, it was possible that something he had done in his sordid past was now coming to collect some kind of unknown debt. If it were his blood that needed to be paid, then Odin would pay it. Honor was the foundation of Asgard and though Odin was the lord of all Asgardians, he himself wasn't beyond honor.

In the coming days, the All-Father would enter into the Odinsleep and though he knew his valiant warriors would defend this realm with their last breath, he always felt some sort of uneasiness every time. Odin had taken steps to shorten the length of the Odinsleep but all attempts at finding such solutions had been fruitless. When the day came that such a solution was found, then Odin would begin to breathe a little easier but until then, he would silently hope for victory for his warriors and would proudly remember the names of the fallen comrades.

As the sun began to set, Odin began making his way into the main dining hall, believing that some Meade and red meat would fill his belly and ease some of his tension. He had taken no more than ten steps before his eyes notice something on the horizon. A signal fire had been lit. Odin knew it was a signal fire from one of the patrols that guarded the lands around his kingdom because the smoke was red and those kinds of signal were only to be lit in case of emergencies. The warriors that were part of the patrols were skilled and fearless, capable of handling most threats on their own.

If a signal fire had been lit, it demanded immediate attention. His meal in the dining hall would have to wait and plus, Odin knew that most meals tasted great after a victory in battle. Though some of his warriors wanted to join him, the All-Father reassured them that he would be more than enough for support. Besides, what kind of a king would he be if he always let others defend his kingdom?

After mounting his stallion and riding as fast as he could, Odin made his way to the area of the signal fire. As he got closer with each passing second, that feeling he had earlier about the debt he had to pay increased. It was as if Odin was riding headfirst to the moment the payment of the debt was owed and to whoever the debt collector was. Odin was never one to give into any kind of fear, from it being either trivial to understandable but now he felt a kind of fear he had never known before. Unknown fear or not, Odin strengthened his resolve and rode even faster to the site.

When he arrived, the sight before Odin was forever burned into his heart. The patrol groups usually consisted four or five men and sometimes a couple of hunting dogs but what was at the site, nothing could be identified as being either man or beast. The entire area around the campfire was coated in blood and entrails, creating a hellish vision that gripped Odin's sight with a vengeance. Whatever had happened here had happened fast for all the blood on the ground had yet to freeze from the cold mountain air.

"By the Will of Asgard, what has happened here?!" Odin roared out, demanding an answer for this horror.

"This is both a remembrance and a prelude." A familiar voice replied, echoing among the trees around the site.

"Show yourself coward!"

The second Odin yelled out, the figure he hadn't seen in the longest of time appeared in front of him.

"Coward? You, the son of a whore who let his own brothers die dare call me a coward? You stand on the very tombstones of your brothers', easily walk all over their dead bodies ever since that day and you have the cow guts to call me a COWARD?!" The Fire Demon roared out while taking one thunderous step towards Odin at a time.

"Surtur! How dare you come to my realm uninvited and kill my countrymen!" Odin unsheathed his sword and immediately prepared himself for the inevitable clash.

"Spare me of your false righteousness, whore son of Bor. Do not forget that I too heard the rumors of you abandoning your father on the battlefield. While no one in Asgard would dare question your supposed loyalty to your own kin, we both know the truth, don't we? It seems that your treachery knows no bounds." Surtur was pleased that Odin reacted to that, even though it was brief but the demon saw it. "This is the day you've known has been a long time coming."

Surtur brought his own sword Twilight to bear. When Odin saw it, he immediately sensed that it held power within it, a power that seemed to give the sword a life of its own.

"I can see it in your eyes that you noticed something rather special about this sword. Let's just say that after our very first encounter, you showed me something that I never would have considered on my own. Actually, you showed me what it looks like to be a coward; it was your brothers that showed me this little trick."

Odin quickly wracked his brain to figure out what Surtur had meant. Then when Odin really looked at the sword, he noticed something else about it and recognized it as well.

"That sword…It has… It can't be!"

Surtur roared out in laughter when Odin recognized what the Fire Demon was hoping he would notice. "Yes. The very life essence of your countrymen that I had just slaughtered is now part of Twilight. So now, each time I kill an Asgardian, this sword and myself grow stronger. So now comes the choice: fight me now or send proud warriors to die for a true coward. Either way, this sword and myself shall taste your blood."

Odin, the All-Father of Asgard stared down hard at the Fire Demon Surtur. He knew that Surtur was powerful on his own which meant most of his warriors would fall if they did battle with him. In addition, if each battle did indeed strengthen the demon and his weapon, Odin had no way to know how many more of his people this demon would kill before he became too powerful. The demon had slain four and Odin could tell his power at the moment was dangerous, possible even for him.

"Know this, Surtur. You will not live to see the sunrise again. I will end you and correct the mistake of not taking your head when I first humbled you." Odin brought his sword up, took a deep breath and prepared himself for the fight.

"The first mistake you made was thinking you could handle me on your own." Surtur took his fighting stance with Twilight in his hands, a devious smile forming on his face. "Mark this day down on the stone slabs of history that a demon restores the honor of Asgard by killing the false king Odin."

That sent Odin over the edge, making him attack with all his rage he had. Surtur expected this but the rage of Odin itself was not to be underestimated. The clash of their swords echoed loudly across the land, being heard by almost everyone else. From the kingdom itself, the people could see the brilliant flashes coming from the distant battle. Even the very grounds themselves shuddered at each sword strike. All of this made the people of Asgard fear that Ragnarok had begun and their lord was alone in facing it.

Despite being ordered to stay behind, some of the fiercest warriors of Asgard decided to not let their lord fight alone and immediately set out to give him whatever support they could.

Odin knew facing Surtur this time alone would be definitely different but he wasn't about to let anyone else fall to the Fire Demon. Surtur himself had expected the fight to be a challenge but not like this. Both were giving everything they had to throw at the other, to overpower and drive them into the dirt. Each scored several hits on the other but neither one gave an inch.

For what seemed like an eternity, Surtur was able to get the upper hand by faking out Odin. The demon blocked a sword strike and made it seem he had lost his balance. Odin brought his blade up and put everything he had into a finishing strike. But at the last second, Surtur avoided the strike and landed a powerhouse punch on Odin's jaw. The All-Father saw stars from the hit and fell to the ground. He wasn't even given a chance to stand for Surtur delivered a kick into his stomach that actually sent Odin flying through a rather large tree. Both hits were more than enough to disorient Odin for Surtur actually leisurely walked up to the fallen god.

For Surtur, it would be so easy to take Twilight and run it through Odin's stomach or behead him. But the Fire Demon wasn't going to let his victory over the All-Father of Asgard be this quick. Surtur wanted the last thing Odin to remember before death is being taken apart piece by piece.

When Odin started to regain his sense, he turned his head towards Surtur. But his senses were still sluggish so he was unable to stop what the Fire Demon did next. With one smooth fast motion of his clawed hand, Surtur reached out and ripped out Odin's right eye. The pain from the sudden lost instantly cleared up Odin's mind and tell him what Surtur had just done.

When the Fire Demon ripped out Odin's eye, his claws had reached inside the eye socket deep enough so that the entire eye was removed completely. However, the blood on the eye made it slippery enough so it flew out of Surtur's grip after it was ripped out. The Fire Demon didn't care where the eye fell, only the fact he was now licking the blood of his sworn enemy off his clawed hand.

"I knew the blood of an Asgard nobleman would taste differently than that of the weaklings but I never believed it would be this sweet. Now, to be fair, it's time for Twilight to have a taste."

Surtur was about take another piece from Odin but this time he was the one who had the overconfidence. Odin had been injured in battles before, more times than he can count easily but he had learned how to fight past the pain of anything one would sustain in a fight, even if it was his own eye he had just lost.

As quickly as he could, Odin moved in close and passed the descending sword in order to tackle Surtur into a nearby boulder. Odin kept pushing even as he ran Surtur through some trees and several more boulders before finally throwing himself and the Fire Demon off a ledge. Both combatants fell but Odin was able to make sure that Surtur to the brunt of each contact with the jagged side of the mountain. When both of them finally landed into a river valley that was at the base of the mountain, Odin had taken some hits from the mountain fall but he was in better shape than Surtur was.

Surtur was accustomed to pain but what he was feeling now was more than he could bear and still fight. But that didn't mean he was going to go quietly. Using what was left of his strength, Surtur called on Twilight to come to his hand. While he called for his weapon, Odin picked himself up and reached for a boulder to use to deliver the final blow.

"Time to give you the end that befits a cowardly demon." Odin said while raising the boulder high above his head.

"I couldn't have agreed more." Surtur replied after seeing his sword Twilight flying to him from behind Odin.

The All-Father could tell that the demon was up to something by the glint in its eyes but he didn't know what it was until he felt something pierce him from behind. Odin let go of the boulder and fell to his knees, looking down and saw what it was that had severely wounded him. The sword had pierced Odin on the left side through his left lung. The wound wasn't immediately fatal but it definitely brought him down to the level Surtur was at, which meant either one's next move could be their last. For Odin, it was possible he would die from his wound faster if he attacked Surtur. The Fire Demon had enough strength left to end the All-Father's life but he could already sense several Asgardians heading to their location.

As much as Surtur wanted Odin dead and vice versa, neither one wanted to die right after defeating their enemy. Surtur dragged himself over to Odin so he could pull Twilight out of him. Surtur wasn't gentle when he removed the sword but the blood loss Odin was suffering from had dulled his senses so he didn't feel it at all.

"Looks like this time we'll call it a draw, Odin." Surtur said after coughing up some of his own blood.

"You won't get far, Surtur. As wounded as you are now, my people will easily track you down before you can crawl back to that pit you call home." Odin's voice was soft because of his weakened state.

"True, but unlike you and your barbarian thinking, I planned on the possibility of having to make a retreat in case you decided to prove once again what a coward you are and have others fight your own battles." Surtur replied before picking up Twilight and making a slashing motion in the air in front of him.

Upon doing this, Odin watched as Surtur created a portal back to his own realm. Normally, for anyone to come to Asgard, it required that they could only enter on the very border of Asgard. To create a portal while this far inside of Asgard required powerful magic. Especially since Odin, while awake, kept most hostile forces of the other realms from ever entering Asgard. It was only during the Odinsleep that entering the realm was more readily possible.

Odin had thought he no longer underestimated his enemies, that he had actually earned enough wisdom from the battlefield to eliminate that weakness. But now he saw that Surtur was more dangerous than even he thought possible.

Moments after Surtur had retreated; the warriors of Asgard found their lord and immediately rushed him back to his kingdom. Because he had used the last of his strength sooner than he normally did, Odin had to enter into the Odinsleep ahead of schedule.

While Surtur and Odin began regaining their strength for the next confrontation, both were completely unaware that their battle had totally unforeseeable consequences.

In the forest where the Fire Demon and the All-Father fought, a mage of dark magic had been on a scavenger hunt for certain items. He had heard the battle but didn't know who was locked in combat. When the noise of the battle died down, the mage wandered to the area to satisfy his curiosity as well as to see if anything of value was left behind. Immediately he noticed that a great battle had taken place just from the mere sight of the carnage. At first, the only things he found were typical items of an Asgardian patrol which held items of little value.

But as he searched, the mage had felt something that was nearby and was distinctly powerful. It didn't take the mage long to find what was giving off such a powerful aura and when he saw it, the mage could not believe his good fortune. All walks of life in all the Nine Realms knew the eyes of the All-Father for there was no one else who held a gaze that spoke in volumes of the power he wielded.

For the mage to come across such a find, to have the chance to wield the power of the All-Father, he almost believed he was dreaming. But when the mage realized this was reality, he quickly took hold of the eye, wrapped gently in the softest cloth he had and left the forest as fast as his legs could carry him.

Once he returned home, the mage immediately brought out the books he needed to do what no one else had ever dreamed of doing. Turning the eye of the All-Father into a powerful talisman. One of the first lessons the mage had learned from his master was that eyes were windows to the soul and there many ways to use them such as potions or spells. Talismans were possible but there extremely hard to forge and very few were ever successfully created. Those that were created were based off of dragons mostly and as powerful as they were, none of them were remotely powerful like the one he had. Since the mage only had the one, he was going to take his time to create the most powerful talisman ever.

It took him over a year but the mage eventually created the proper talisman that could harness the power of the All-Father. The mage also design the talisman so that even Odin couldn't defeat him while he wore it for if he did try to fight him, his own power would be direct back at him. The talisman was fashioned to look like a gold eye with the Eye of Odin, which the mage had encased in a pure crystal sphere with his skills, at the very center of it.

With the Eye of Odin talisman in his possession, the mage decided that now was the time to carve out his place in both Asgard and history by using the powers of the All-Father and overthrow his own kingdom with it.

For whoever wielded the strength of the All-Father, there was no challenger who could match it.

However, before the mage could enact his plan, Surtur had gotten wind of the mage's plan and sought to take the talisman the mage had created for himself. When the Fire Demon came to take the talisman, the mage used its power to defend himself but he was completely inexperienced in dealing with someone as powerful as Surtur. The mage was also completely inexperience in using the powers that Odin could command so the first attack he tried against Surtur caused most of a mountain to collapse. This easily gained the attention of all Asgardians as well as the attention of the All-Father himself.

By the time Odin got to the spot where his powers were used, Surtur had easily defeated the mage and had impaled him upon his sword Twilight. The All-Father had quickly put together what had happened and wasted no words in the attempt to defeat Surtur right at that moment. The Fire Demon was caught off guard by the sudden attack from Odin but he quickly recovered from the surprise attack. While they fought, everyone ignored the mage as he lay in a pool of his own blood believing him to be dead already.

The mage had been dealt a mortal wound and knew his death was imminent. He also knew that whoever won, Odin or Surtur, would gain his treasured talisman and that was one thing he wasn't going to allow, even in his death. With the last of his strength, the mage cast a spell and ripped open a portal. Since he was dying and he wanted no one else to have the eye even after his death, the mage didn't care where the portal led to as long as it was a place that neither Surtur nor Odin could follow to.

With his dying breath, the mage called out to the battling titans to watch the last act he would ever perform. The Fire Demon and the All-Father watched as the mage threw the talisman as hard as he could into the portal. The second the object passed through, the portal closed behind it. Surtur immediately knew his chance to gain the eye had passed when he saw that and retreated as fast he could while Odin was distracted. Though the eye was no longer in Asgard, with the power of his sword Twilight, Surtur could follow where the eye went but only after he learned of it's location.

A task in itself that was damn near impossible for the Fire Demon at the moment and self-preservation took more priority.

Immediately forgetting that Surtur had escaped again, Odin ran up to and demanded from the dying mage where his eye was sent to but all he got in response was a bloody dying laugh. With his lone eye, Odin scanned the horizon to see if maybe the eye was merely thrown to another place on Asgard but it wasn't. Where his eye was now, it was beyond the Nine Realms and quite possibly beyond his sight and reach.

The destination that the mage's portal led to was into space itself and for the longest of time, the talisman that held the Eye of Odin drifted aimlessly in the black void. As did the talisman faded into the blackness, so did it fade out of memory of the Nine Realms.

However, the story of the Eye did not end there. As the powers of Fate would have it, the Eye eventually found its way to a world that was similar to Midgard but as equally different as Midgard is to Asgard. From the very skies did the Eye fall until it crashed violently against world's surface, creating an impressive crater. However, being that the Eye fell in the center of a mountain range, the impact caused landslides all around until the crater was mostly covered by the fallen rocks. For all intents and purposes, the landscape was completely reformed by this event.

The people of the world had known something had fell from the Heavens but because of the fallen rocks, no one was able find what it was. In time the event became a story that was commonly known and told among the people, but like all things with the passage of time, the story was slowly forgotten by all except one clan of people.

The people of the Senju Clan had kept the story as part of their history for it was said one of their ancestors had prayed for help from a divine power on the night the light fell to the world. Some had searched the area where the light fell but all came back with nothing. Nothing except with the intense feeling that something was definitely there and it held trace of something divine.

In a way, this was the reason why the area had been chosen as the site of Konohagakure no Sato. One of the founders of the village and current leader of the Senju Clan had proposed the site, believing that maybe it would cement the newly created peace that had been established between his clan and the Uchiha Clan.

Most had thought that Hashirama Senju was mad to have a village in such a place, a place that was mostly barren with sparse vegetation everywhere but all eventually thought differently when Hashirama used the powers of his Kekkai Genkai, his power of Earth elements to actually create a forest from practically nothing. This was seen as a symbol to all of a promise of a new start for everyone and that peace was definitely possible.

On the surface, great changes were taking place but deep underground, a significant change was happening. Because Hashirama Senju used his unique bloodline and chakra to create the lush forest, he had used so much that he had actually, inadvertently touch the Eye of Odin that had been buried for untold years. Though countless tons of rock fell onto the Eye when it created the crater upon it's arrival, a mystical barrier from the Eye itself save it being crushed. The Eye of Odin sat in the center of a domed cavern deep underground and remained untouched until the First Hokage created the forest above it.

Hashirama's power broke the talisman that held the eye but only because the talisman had been weakened by the crash landing. This was enough to awakened the Eye but not entirely. When the Eye was sealed in the talisman, it's power was contained and could only be unleashed by the one who wore the talisman. Now freed of it's binding, the power of the Eye of Odin lightly flowed out and into the underground river that fed the newly created forest about the cavern.

In time, the power of the Eye turned the forest above it into something more than anyone including Hashirama thought possible. The forest had taken on a life of it's own and separated itself from the rest that was around Konohagakure no Sato. It quickly and widely became known as the Forest of Death for even the beasts themselves that made those particular woods their home were ferocious beyond all reasonable measure. But that wasn't the only thing that stood out so easily about this forest.

In the very center of it was a single tree that reach high into the sky. There had been rumors that this tree had been the first tree that sprouted, that it had been there since the beginning of the village's creation. Some even believed in the rumor that it possibly had been there since the beginning of time because for it's size alone easily gave to that outrageous suggestion. But it's size wasn't the only thing about it that told all this was no ordinary tree. No bird, or beast or insect or even the people who dared to enter into the Forest of Death ever went near it. Even when a storm passed over the village, neither the wind nor the rain or lightning touched it. An unforeseen force pushed everything away despite whatever efforts were made to get near it.

The people of the village eventually called this the World Tree for several reasons but one being that all held the belief that this one tree was the personification of the world itself.

This tree's roots ran deep in the earth and were able to come near the Eye of Odin which caused it to gain it's size. In a way, the Eye had made this tree it's protector until the time came when Odin himself would come to claim it once again.

Until that day, the Eye of Odin slept silently in the cavern.

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And that's how this story begins.

Since this story is set in both the Naruto-Universe and Marvel-Universe, there will be some characters from both sides being part of the story but the final setting will be in Naruto-Universe. Also this will be a harem fic so Naruto can just as easily end up with someone from his universe as he can with someone from the Marvel-Universe. My opinion, Naruto Uzumaki could have easily ended up with any of the girls he had met in the anime/manga series. Even with Tsunade if the age wasn't an issue.

The reason for this being a Naruto/Hana Inuzuka pairing will be made clear in the next chapter.

Well, read and review plz.


	2. Chapter 1: Fateful Events

Disclaimer: Own nothing of Naruto or Marvel and thus make no profit from this.

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 **Chapter 1: Fateful Events**

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 **-Present-**

Naruto Uzumaki wandered the streets of his home village. He had just passed the first test of Chunin Exam and in his view, practically by the skin of his teeth though he would probably never admit it openly. But he didn't back down at the end, despite the fact that the entire test they were given was a ruse from the very beginning. A clever ruse to test one's willingness in facing dangerously unknown situations.

But now that he passed it, Naruto could feel that he was one step closer to achieving his own goal. While his team sensei Kakashi and academy teacher Iruka knew of his accomplishment, Naruto had just finished talking to Teuchi and Ayame over a bowl dubbed the Victory Ramen meal and was now on his way to tell one more person of his accomplishment. Though the others did congratulate him on his achievement, this person Naruto was going to see was the only one who actually tried to convince him not to take the Chunin Exam.

She had told him that taking the Exam required more than just several months of out of the academy experience. The average team she told him had at least one to two years experience before taking the Chunin Exam just to ensure that none of the teams nominated were still seen as rookies. She told Naruto that the Chunin Exams were to be taken seriously and the moment anyone doesn't, it held the real possibility of being a fatal mistake.

But Naruto stood by his decision to enter into the Exam, telling her that he's been through worse and survived which meant there wasn't much more that the Chunin Exam can do to him that he hasn't already dealt with. Though he said that with a smile on his face, Naruto knew she saw right passed his often used smiling 'mask' since she herself had seen some of those terrible times he had been through years ago.

 **-Past-**

Naruto always hated this time of the year, practically ever since he could remember.

The Day the Nine Tailed Fox was killed by the Fourth Hokage and saved the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

He could never understand the reason why people would treat him worse than they normally did during the rest of the year. Another thing that made it so worse was that this day was also his birthday and from what little knowledge he had about the world, people viewed birthdays as positive thing. But Naruto couldn't see it like that, no matter how hard he tried to see it. For him, his birthday was simply reminding him what he was going to experience for another year.

And though he prayed that when this day happened that it wouldn't be as bad as the one before it, the boy was never surprised when the day became exactly as he feared. This time around, Naruto was sure that this was the worst one to date. Naruto had started the day out by staying in his apartment and hope that the day would end fast but that hope was dashed when someone tossed a Molotov Cocktail through his bedroom window.

This wasn't the first time someone did something like this to force Naruto out of his apartment but he had thought that it would never happen again since the Sandaime had given him his word. Whether the Sandaime lied to him or not, Naruto was more concerned with the fact that when left his apartment, the people that were waiting outside immediately tried to pounce on him. It was times like this that Naruto was glad he was small since it allowed him to outmaneuver the adults. He was also glad that most of the time these adults were three sheets to the wind when they came after him.

Once he was out of the mob's immediate grasp, Naruto ran as hard as he could away from them. He had gotten fast over the years in trying to outrun anyone trying to hurt him but it seemed this time around there were people in the mob who were just a little faster than he was.

Because of that, Naruto's planned escape-and-hide tactic from the mob he had thought up before hand was useless since he knew he couldn't make it in time. The only other option he had at the moment was run into the forest territory of the Inuzuka Clan's Compound. Though no one really bothered to tell him how all the clans of Konoha worked together, Naruto was able to piece together one fact about the Inuzuka Clan. No one entered into their territory uninvited even if they were a shinobi of Konoha and if they did, they never made that mistake again.

It was a risk to himself but the choices Naruto had at the moment was either taking a brutal punishment from the mob that would more than likely leave him for dead or enter into what could be considered forbidden territory and possibly face equal or worse punishment as a result. It was this time when Naruto finally understood the meaning to a phrase he had once heard.

"Damned if you do and damned if you don't."

Death was all but assured if the mob caught him but entering into this forest, death was still a possibility but it also had a slight chance for a better result. Not much but Naruto had learned how to use whatever he could in almost any situation that he found himself in.

As fast as his legs could carry him, Naruto ran directly into the forest and didn't bother to see if any of the mob was following him. Only when he stopped for a moment to catch his second wind, Naruto heard people arguing just outside of the forest territory. From the bits and piece he could make out, someone wanted to continue chase him while someone else said that he wouldn't get out of the forest alive regardless.

That alone was more than enough incentive to go deeper into the forest. While some people that hated Naruto only wanted him out of their sight, the boy also knew of people who wanted nothing more than end his life with their own hands. They were only arguing now but it's didn't mean they weren't going to stop chasing him.

Naruto continued to run as hard as he could into the forest, no longer caring if someone was chasing him. He didn't know why but for some strange reason, he felt the need to keep running. Naruto didn't even bother to dodge the low hanging branches and bushes, he just kept on running. Even though his wounds healed faster than most, they were open just long enough for drops of blood to come out. In fact, Naruto ran so hard that he didn't even see the steep drop off in front of him until it was too late. Rolling down the steep hill, Naruto tried to stop himself but he couldn't in time before his head bounced off large solid tree.

The impact actually cracked his head a bit but the wound wasn't fatal though it was enough to knock him out completely. Naruto didn't know how long he was out but when he opened his eyes, he saw daylight coming into the room and on the bed he was sleeping on.

In Naruto's view, it was definitely something he never expected but he wasn't about to question it just yet.

"Good. You're awake."

Naruto looked around to who owned the voice. After rubbing the forced sleep out of his eyes, the person he saw clearly had a kind face and three rather angry looking dogs standing guard in front of her. Each dog had the look on their face that Naruto was, unfortunately, familiar with. 'Attack now and no regrets later' seemed to be a common theme with Naruto but what surprised him the most was that the girl behind the dogs was showing something he hadn't seen before. She was also carrying a tray that had freshly cooked eggs and slices of toast on a plate.

Naruto didn't mean for it to happen but the second he caught a good whiff of the meal, his stomach let out a growl that was clearly audible. His embarrassment was evident on his face. But the girl only smiled in response.

"I take it that it's been awhile since you've had a good meal." She said while setting the tray in front of Naruto. When Naruto didn't begin eating right away, mostly because of the fact that the last time someone offered him some free food, he didn't know it was poisoned until after being hospitalized. The girl only showed confusion for a moment before coming to an idea to Naruto's current actions. "It's not poisoned in any way. If I wanted to do you harm, I would have done it when I found out cold in my clan's forest and not waited until you woke up. Besides I have no reason to hurt you."

When he heard that, Naruto reluctantly accepted the idea that she was telling the truth. For some reason there was a part of her that gave off a sense of trust that Naruto picked up on. The only other people he had ever felt like he could trust were Teuchi and his daughter Ayame and his instincts weren't wrong on them. Maybe it was worth the risk this time.

Slowly, Naruto reached for the fork and began eating the sunny-side up eggs. The second the food touched his taste buds, Naruto smile just briefly before beginning to devour the meal with the same speed and ferocity of a tornado.

It was a sight to see how fast the boy ate everything off the plate. The girl had actually timed it in her mind how long and it wasn't even 30 seconds from start to finish which proved to her that this boy rarely had a decent meal. She had seen similar behavior with some of the canines in their clan when they haven't eaten either in a while or very little when they did.

When he finished and let out a contented sigh, the girl gathered up the tray and items on it.

"If you'll wait right here, I'll bring you a change of fresh clothes for you, the ones you had on were dirty, bloodied and frankly, beyond repair."

"Um, thank you, uh…" Naruto didn't know who the girl was but he also wasn't ungrateful.

"Oh, my name's Hana Inuzuka. And these overprotective furballs are the Three Haimaru Brothers." Hana said but her voice did carry a sense of teasing when she introduced her canine partners. Hana pointed to each one in turn.

"This gray one is Kaijinmaru. This dark gray is Kirimaru and the light gray is Funjnmaru." Hana said before the Funjnmaru turned his head to Hana and lightly growled. Hana nodded her head in reply. "Oh, and make sure you know which is which. They tend to be a bit temperamental about mistaken identity."

When she said that, Naruto could have sworn that the one called Funjnmaru lightly growled, almost as if to reinforce that bit of information.

Naruto was going to ask if the girl had 'talked' to the dog and vice versa but he remembered hearing something about that members of the Inuzuka Clan were capable of talking to their canine companions, But he wasn't sure if that meant all the dogs or just the one. Naruto brushed that question off when he realized he hadn't told Hana who he was.

"My name's Naruto Uzumaki." The moment he said his name, a part of Naruto was expecting the girl to become just like the villagers that practically attacked him on sight.

To his complete amazement, the girl only nodded and said that it was pleasure to meet him. Still with that gentle smile on her face. Naruto often wondered what compassion felt like since the only examples he had were the father and daughter at Ichiraku Ramen Bar and maybe Old Man Sarutobi. Not much in terms of comparison but Naruto felt what he could tell was compassion coming from this girl.

After saying his name, a kind of awkward silence fell between them. Hana was the first to break the silence by suggesting to Naruto use the bathroom and clean himself up some before putting the spare clothing she was about to go get for him. With that, Hana took her leave and exited the room with her canine companions right behind her.

Just as Hana closed the door to the guestroom, her mother Tsume made her presence known.

"Now that has got to be a first. Someone ate your cooking and didn't seem to be bothered by it." Tsume had a sly smile on her face when she said that, hinting at several other things as well besides her daughter's cooking.

"How long have you been standing outside?" Hana knew her mother had been keeping an eye on the boy when she had first discovered him passed out in their forest. There wasn't much that escaped the leader of the Inuzuka Clan's notice, especially in their compound.

"Not long but enough to know it seems the boy has taken a liking to you." Tsume looked back at the guestroom's door and then back at her daughter.

"What makes you say that? The only thing I did was give him a warm breakfast."

"Hana, if there's one thing constant in the world its that doing an act of random kindness can mean the world to anyone. You'll understand once you get to know the boy some more." Tsume replied before turning around and heading towards the Clan's main library.

Hana understood the first part of what her mother had said and the second part but what she didn't understand was the hidden part that came along with everything. Hana had learned the lesson of 'looking underneath the underneath' and that her own mother was cunning enough to where she could have a motive even in the most basic motions of life. Hana knew her mother wanted her to get to know Naruto more but still kept the main reasons as to why to herself.

All in all, Hana didn't see any reason not to since there was something about the boy that made her curious. Like why did he have a trace of a fox scent on him when their forest is completely devoid of foxes?

As Hana continued on with her way, Tsume was, in fact, busy with something else. It seemed that unforeseen events had created a very unique opportunity that was a bit too tempting for her to completely ignore. It wasn't a political chess game she was going to be playing since she never really had a stomach for it but it would be geared towards making the boy's life better than it was now. But before she could do anything, she had to brush up on certain clan and village laws and traditions which was why she was heading to the clan's main library at the moment.

Tsume remembered there was some old law that the village did practice but that was long ago when certain villages and clans were still around. The times may have changed some but Tsume was fairly certain those laws were still around, just not as practiced as much as they were before. And if she was right, Naruto fell into a certain particular category.

She was aware of who the parents were for the boy. How could she not notice the subtle scent of a fox? Even her partner Kuromaru picked up on the scent but said nothing. But he did voice his thoughts when he realized where they were heading.

"You do realize that in order for that to work, several things will have to be made public about that boy's heritage." Kuromaru said while walking by Tsume's side.

"What makes you think I was thinking about that?" Tsume replied to her canine partner.

"I may only have one eye but I've been with you long enough to see when you've got something planned. It's rare to be sure considering how crazy you tend to be but whenever you plan something, almost no one will see it coming save for those that know you best."

Tsume only smile in response which prompted Kuromaru to voice what he believed was on Tsume's mind.

"So, the last known Senju clan member is Tsunade Senju and she's currently roaming the world plus she could be old enough to be the boy's mother. It's possible that there are other members of the Uzumaki clan in the world even after Uzushiogakure was destroyed years ago but only the boy is the only confirmed, or unconfirmed in this case, member of said clan in this village..."

"You can thank that idiotic law the Sandaime put into place." Tsume said, an opinion that Kuromaru knew the woman had and voiced several times in front of the Hokage.

"...in which means for all intents and purposes, Naruto Uzumaki is an orphan living in this village. The only hitch to the plan you have is that you can't make any open moves of having Naruto join our clan because of both his lineage and his curse."

Tsume's smile subtly changed into one that Kuromaru hadn't seen many times but knew without a doubt that she had something up her sleeve. All she had to do was wait for the right time to pull said ace out of the hole and toss it onto the table after everyone else played their hands.

"But he can make the decision for himself." Tsume replied upon entering the library room and began searching for the proper text to confirm all the details she had in mind.

By the time Hana had found some spare clothes that would fit Naruto, she had wondered if Naruto had taken off already since when she returned to the guestroom, it was empty. Though her mother did say it was alright for the boy be in the compound, Hana knew there were many Inuzuka that didn't like the fact that she was their leader and so there would be some that would openly defy her at any given time. However, she didn't really think that Naruto being in the compound would give them the perfect excuse.

One of her canine companions instantly detected the fresh scent of human blood and pointed out to several droplets by the windowsill. Hana knew right away something wasn't right and the boy Naruto was caught in the middle of it. Immediately Hana and her canine companions took off and followed the faint blood trail back into their forest. While they followed, Hana was able to pick up voices that were ahead of her, thanks in part to her training on enhancing her senses. The only clear thing she picked up was that there were two of them and one said that they now had a chance to 'kill the fox demon'.

The two obviously didn't expect to be followed so when they stopped to finish off the bounded and gagged Naruto, Hana and her canine comrades instantly jumped the two. Since her own mother had helped in her training, Hana was precise in her attack in both subduing the two and their canine companions while separating them from Naruto who was out cold the entire time.

Hana didn't bother to ask the questions that were present in her mind: what these two were doing and why. All she cared for at the moment was to stop them from hurting an already injured person and a child no less. And as much as she wanted to, Hana did not tell her canines to rip out the other Inuzuka's canine throats. She knew her clansmen were old enough to understand how dishonorable this was and how it would reflect on the clan itself but their punishment would be in accordance with the clan's rules despite her own feelings.

In a way they were fortunate for if Hana had her way with what these two had done to Naruto, she would have the humans begging for death. Despite the loyalty the canines gave to their Inuzuka masters, Hana knew that even they should have known better.

A quick examination showed that Naruto's skull had been cracked by a sharp blow as well as a deep slash across his back which was indicative of being made by Naruto attempting to run away. There was even a deep bite mark on his left leg which proved one of the canines stopped Naruto in an attempt to escape.

All in all, the wounds needed required immediate treatment.

 **-Present-**

Naruto remembered when he woke up again and Hana told him what had happened to him. He remembered how surprised she was when Naruto told her what had happened wasn't routine but wasn't totally unexpected for him either. Hana then asked him to tell her everything about himself and when Naruto was done, he was surprised at how Hana reacted to it all. There were very few people in the village that showed compassion to Naruto but that was the very first time he had seen someone actually angered at what had been done to him. Old man Sarutobi only showed sympathy towards him whenever stuff like this happened to him. Naruto didn't even tell Teuchi and Ayame any such details even though they never asked. So to see someone angered by what others had did to him was definitely a first for him.

Though it wasn't really the best way to start a friendship but Naruto was glad he did make a friend with Hana and her three canine companions. It did take awhile for the Three Haimaru Brothers to accept him even though Hana did but when they did, it felt like Naruto had made some more friends.

Also, by being associated with someone from the Inuzuka clan, the attacks against Naruto declined by some which was a welcome change in his view. Turns out that the Inuzuka Clan had a reputation for defending that which to they claim is part of their family, both human and canine. So when it seemed the Inuzuka Clan had, in a strange way, adopted Naruto Uzumaki, it sent out a message saying that reprisals for attacking him would be more than they were before.

Also, because of their friendship, Hana was able to help Naruto with his academy training when she could. It wasn't much but Naruto never complained since it was more than the academy instructors ever gave him. In fact, if it wasn't for her tips and training on how to move stealthily and silently, Naruto would never have pulled off some of his legendary pranks including the one he did on the Hokage Monument. Even with the routine patrols, to do that and not get caught in the act proved two things about Naruto. His growing skills and the level of unpredictability he was already capable of.

Even though he was tricked into taking the Sacred Scroll of Sealing, to have gotten the scroll from the Hokage's office was no simple task in of itself. When Naruto told Hana that, he didn't know that it showed Hana how much the village underestimated the blonde teenager.

In a way, it gave Hana a sense of pride that she was helping fulfill an untapped potential in what the village saw as the most useless 'person'. When Hana told Naruto that, he felt something he had never felt before and when he told Hana what he felt, Naruto still had a little trouble understanding what it meant. It took a bit on Hana's part but Naruto figured out that it was happiness he was feeling, happiness that someone saw his worth as a Shinobi and as a person.

Though they were friends at first, Naruto swore he continue to prove that Hana's faith in him was well justified. And telling her that he passed the first test of the Chunin Exam was the latest reward for her faith in him.

Hana had finished her duties at the veterinary clinic for some time when Naruto had stopped by the compound. She was with her three canine companions, Kaijinmaru, Kirimaru and Funjnmaru, who were all sitting under the shade of a tree just relaxing at the moment.

"Hey, Hana!" Naruto yelled out when seeing her.

Hana would never admit it but there was a part of her that liked hearing Naruto when he was in a good mood. The quickest way to tell if he was in a good mood was how big his real smile would be. She had seen enough over time to tell when he was smiling out of habit, giving his fake smile or when he was really smiling and those times were the ones Hana quietly enjoyed.

When Naruto ran up to Hana, her canine companions playfully tackled him. Hana did laugh a bit at the sight with the Three Haimaru Brothers wrestling around with Naruto. At first it was because they were protective of her and wary of Naruto but eventually they warmed up to Naruto when they saw how friendly Hana was to him and vice versa over time. In a funny way, this was the brothers way of greeting Naruto and eventually became the regular greeting whenever Naruto helped Hana out with the pups.

"I take it the smile on your face means something definitely good happen today." Hana said while watching Naruto trying to get out of the hold the three dogs had put him in.

"Believe it! Wait til you hear what happened!" Naruto said while still playfully tussling with three dogs.

When Naruto told her what had happened, once he managed to break free from the Three Haimaru Brothers, Hana wasn't at all surprised since she knew that Naruto would beat the first test. Hana told Naruto that she had faced a similar test when she entered into the Chunin Exam and she figured what was required to pass it near the end of her test. The difference was that Ibiki wasn't the proctor for the first part of the Chunin Exam and it was held in Village Hidden in the Sands at the time. Hana also told Naruto that if she had a chance to do it over, she would have done what Naruto did since what he did in front of Ibiki showed his commitment and determination was unbreakable and the master interrogator could easily spot the difference between a bluff and the genuine article in a Genin.

Naruto had asked Hana on what to expect after he learned he would be taking the Chunin Exam but she told the teenager that she couldn't on account that if it was even hinted that Naruto knew what to expect than it would invalidate his participation. She also told him that if Naruto had an idea of what to expect, his actions wouldn't be as honest as they were in the face of what was to be perceived as a real test of character.

Hana hoped that Naruto would understand afterwards about her actions in refusing to help and was glad that he did.

"So, what's next Hana? We were told to meet at the Forest of Death tomorrow for the next part of the Exam. Is it some sort of survival test?" Naruto remembered a lesson that Hana had taught him earlier, about how to plan ahead. A lesson that Naruto had used when playing a lot of his pranks around the village, which Hana told him on several occasions that was not how she wanted the lessons applied at.

Then again, pulling off the prank of painting the entire Hokage Monument in goofy patterns and colors was definitely an amusing sight so it was hard for Hana to be a stern lecturer to Naruto at that time.

"In a way, it is. I can't really tell you what to expect since the exam itself is never really the same each time. The only thing I can tell you is what you might encounter in the Forest of Death."

"Like what?" Naruto's confusion was evident on his face.

"Well, for starters..." Hana said before making Naruto turn his gaze towards a general direction. "one thing you'll see for certain is the World Tree."

Naruto looked around the area where Hana had directed his gaze and eventually noticed what she was talking about. Before Naruto could speak up about his current confusion, Hana answered the inevitable questions the blonde teenager was about to ask.

"Somewhere in the middle of the forest is a tree unlike any other tree you will ever see outside of this village. As you can tell, you can easily see it even from a distant, probably better from the Hokage Monument itself. And as you get closer, you will somehow feel that this particular tree gives off a kind of presence, like the tree is more than you can imagine."

"Is it alive?" Naruto knew that Hana wasn't the kind of person that tells fanciful stories and this time, hopefully, was no exception.

"All things that live in the any forest anywhere in the world are alive but this tree is so much more." Hana stopped for a moment in order to think of a visual example of what she was trying to tell Naruto. "Think of it like this Naruto: as something in nature grows and ages, it gets bigger or taller or even both. So, the belief behind the World Tree is that it's been around longer than people have been on Earth."

"You're saying that the World Tree is as old the Earth itself?"

"No one really knows for certain. The only thing that is known for certain about the World Tree is that it is big as a mountain and nothing goes near it, not even the insects and animals that live in the Forest of Death. And its not like their afraid of it, its that they simply do not go near it no matter what."

When Naruto heard that, it confused him greatly. To hear that nothing goes near a tree was a bit strange but then again, he was learning that there was much to the world itself.

"Wait….if bugs and animals don't go near the World Tree, does that mean only people can?"

"Actually no. It's not something I can explain easily since I don't fully understand it myself but I can tell you this: when you get close to the World Tree, a part of you will be screaming at you to get away from it. I know you don't back down from a challenge Naruto but trust me on this, the closer you get, the more you'll feel the need to back away from the tree. And this feeling you will not be able to ignore."

Hana learned early on that Naruto never backed down from anything. He may have not been quick to accept some challenges but he ultimately never back away once he accepted the challenge. Hopefully Naruto didn't see this as a challenge since even when Hana herself got near the World Tree that one time, there was something about it that made her want to get away from it. Even her teammates at the time were of the same mind when they got relatively close to World Tree.

"Naruto, I know that you don't back away from a challenge but promise me that you won't go near it. There something about the World Tree that, honestly, frightens me."

Naruto knew well enough that when Hana spoke like that, her reasons were solid and not to be ignored. The hyperactive teenager did promise he wouldn't go near the World Tree but his curiosity about it was definitely peaked. The only thing he could hope for was that by some chance he would see the tree at least in a close-up manner.

Even though Hana knew that Naruto kept his word, she knew that he was already scheming some way to see the World Tree without breaking his promise. That was one of the things she admired about him, his creative ways and on-the-spot thinking which in her view was a requirement for all Shinobi.

After telling Hana some more details about what happened before and during the first part of the Chunin Exam, Naruto decided to head back to his apartment since the sun had begun to set. As Hana watched Naruto leave, a part of her was a bit sad to see him leave. Somehow, whenever the blonde teenager was near, Hana felt a little happier like Naruto's very presence contained such a strong positive energy that affects everyone nearby over time.

She could even tell her canine companions missed his presence even though they tried their best not to show it. But her trained hearing would catch the slight whine from them as they watched Naruto leave. Add to the fact that there were several times when one of them would take ahold of Naruto's sleeve to keep him from walking away said much.

She silently wished Naruto the best since the next part of the exam was probably the most dangerous part even for the most experienced team. And considering who Naruto's sensei was, Hana had no doubt in her mind that he had conveniently left out the fact that there have been Genin teams killed in the Forest of Death in previous exams. Even Genin Teams from this very village itself.

But then again it reminded her of the fact that any sensible Jounin instructor wouldn't nominate a Genin team that didn't even have a year of experience under their belt for the Chunin Exam. It was like having someone who had just learned how to walk one day begin running marathons the very next day.

Just what the Hell was Kakashi Hatake trying to prove? For that matter, were Kurenai and Asuma equally block-headed since even their Genin teams didn't have a lot of experience as well when compared to the other teams in the exam. These kinds of questions weren't supposed to be around during the Chunin Exams in the first place, no matter where it was being held. That was strong opinion of Hana at the moment.

"Well, judging by your expression, you're worried about Naruto and probably pissed off at his sensei at the same time. Tricky in juggling those two emotions at the same time, eh?"

Hana turn to her left and saw her mother, Tsume Inuzuka and her canine companion Kuromaru idly standing. Her mother was a highly skilled Jounin so it never really surprised Hana when Tsume was able to sneak up on her like that. But it also told her something else since whenever her mother appeared out of nowhere, it was because she was nearby in the first place.

"Honestly, it is and I am both. And before you ask, I am glad Kiba passed the first part of the exam and I know because if Naruto hadn't passed, then that meant Ibiki had failed everyone like he usually does. Everyone in the village knows that man takes pride in breaking anyone without having to lift one of his own fingers to do it." Hana said.

"Sounds like you didn't have a lot of faith in your brother in terms of passing the first part of the exam." Tsume said. Like her daughter, she didn't have a lot of faith in her son passing since most of the time he was too headstrong for his own good. A trait that Tsume knew he had gotten from herself when he was born.

But that didn't mean they didn't hope for the best for Kiba. He would become a fine shinobi but only after he learned how not to be so cocky at the wrong times.

"If you think about it, Mother, I'm pretty sure no one would have passed if not for Naruto."

Tsume let out a small laugh at what her daughter said. "That is so true. I just got back from the Jounin meeting and Ibiki told everyone there that until that hyperactive Genin spoke, none of the other Genin showed what was needed in order to pass the true test. You should have heard the responses from the other Jounins. They pretty much said that it was impossible for Naruto to be the sole reason why the other Genin were able to pass."

"But they should have known that Ibiki isn't some novice at reading people. I take it Ibiki didn't take it kindly when someone probably insinuated that he must have misread the Genin." Hana knew that the Master Interrogator of Konoha took pride in his work which meant at times he could be very sadistic but only because he was required to be the best.

"Let's just say he more than hinted at the possibility of showing those ignorant few why he was the best." Tsume could still remember how pale some of those Jounin got when Ibiki made that subtle threat to them. Tsume knew she could be intimidating when she wanted to be but Ibiki could be more intimidating with a lot less work.

Hell, there were times when even just a look from Ibiki was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine.

"You know, if those Jounin remembered the fact Naruto managed to sneak into the Hokage's office and made off with the Sacred Scroll of Sealing, they might not be so quick to dismiss him. Even when all those shinobi and ANBU chased him after he painted the Hokage Monument, that should have been a clear sign not to underestimate Naruto."

"Ha! I remember talking to one of the Jounin chasing Naruto that day. Having to admit he fell for the camouflage trick Naruto used and later hearing that Iruka, a Chunin, didn't fall for it, well lets just say he lost a couple points in respect in the end."

"Which makes me wonder when exactly did Naruto earn his title as this village's most unpredictable shinobi since he wasn't even a shinobi when he pulled all of those pranks." Hana said while trying to figure out the answer to that question herself.

Tsume knew her daughter was right about a lot of things in regards to Naruto. The leader of the Inuzuka Clan like most others was surprised when she heard Naruto accomplishing such a feat. If anything, that one accomplishment could be seen as a prelude for the shinobi career of Naruto Uzumaki. A career Tsume knew would never probably have started without the help of her daughter.

"Just be careful you don't make the same mistake yourself and dismiss Naruto at any time." Tsume said and then taking off before her daughter could ask what it was her words implied.

Tsume Inuzuka already knew who the boy was, mostly since whenever there was a gathering of high ranking Shinobi of the village, somehow or another the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi would get 'discussed'. And by discussed, it was mostly someone venting some sort of frustration about the boy doing something and the village making compensations for his actions. Even the most recent one in regards of the Chunin Exam.

The boy was a prankster of sorts, that much Tsume had seen with her own eyes but some of the things he had been accused of was completely implausible. One example was that she learned a certain bar fight was pinned on him but she knew it was an outright lie since she was there and saw how the fight really began with the boy nowhere in sight. The fact that the Sandaime went along with the complaint without so much as raising an eyebrow at the contradictory information was what annoyed her the most at that time.

There was a time she did talk to the old man about his means of protecting the boy and he said he was doing as much as he could but in Tsume's view, it wasn't good enough. It may be the clan's pack mentality playing a part in her feelings, how the clan teaches their members to look after their own more so than usual, but in the common sense it still wasn't enough.

But the main reason why was because Tsume knew the boy's true heritage. What a lot of people didn't know about, even her own clansmen, from way back was when Tsume was younger, she had a huge crush on the Yondaime but missed her chance with him when he chose to be with another. Kushina Uzumaki was strong, there was no question about that but there were a couple of times during their Genin and Chunin days where Tsume managed to defeat her in a spar.

It was because this small rivalry of sorts that both Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki became a pat of Tsume's life. If it wasn't for them, Tsume knew she wouldn't have become the leader of the Inuzuka Clan.

It was because of this rivalry with Kushina that Tsume essentially burn into her mind the unmistakable scent of both Kushina and Minato's, which she recognized as a part of Naruto's own scent and she knew as well as any other Inuzuka clan member knew that was something cannot be faked easily or for long.

That fact was strong on it's own but it easily reinforced another fact. The other fact was the kind of man Minato was when he was alive. He never would have chosen just any child to have the most powerful Tailed Beast in all the Elemental Lands sealed in and yet, no one else seemed to take that into account about the boy. This was the view of the many which proved their views of the world to as narrowed as they were ignorant.

The boy was seen as the demon first and nothing else.

Tsume had no doubt that the Sandaime knew about Naruto's parents as well so that made the entire situation completely unacceptable since the boy was the son of a legend in this village. She also knew that the last words Minato said was that he wanted the boy to be seen as the hero of the village and what Hiruzen Sarutobi was doing certainly didn't help in that regards.

The Inuzuka Clan leader did understand the concept of keeping the boy safe by keeping his lineage under wraps since Minato had amassed more enemies than even Hiruzen Sarutobi had in his prime. It's clear they would go after Naruto the second they caught wind of him being Minato's only child.

But in her view, some things were definitely worth the risk.

For a while now, Tsume had worked to figure how to help the boy. She had initially thought that maybe she could have the boy adopted into the Clan but in the end, there was nothing that she could do on her own that wouldn't go unnoticed. She thought about getting support from the Clan elders but that would require her to divulge the identity of Naruto's parents and that would end up turning Naruto into a political chess piece and turning his life into some sort of political game among the other clans in the village. That was the last thing she wanted to have happened to him since she saw what happened when things became too political.

But now things had changed and it seemed it could lead to a better situation than Tsume could have hoped for. She had been supportive of the relationship between her daughter and Minato's son and as things stood, it looked like the two of them might even become closer down the road. If and when that did happen, there was something she could do as both leader of the clan and mother of Hana that would benefit the both of them. Her research in to previous clan affairs showed that there was more of a connection between Inuzuka, Uzumaki and Senju clan than most even remembered nowadays.

This information would help bring Naruto into the clan but that would only be because of what she hope would happen between her daughter and the blonde teenager. Hopefully not because of what some political figure wanted especially the likes of Danzō Shimura.

Every time she even thought of his name, Tsume would always replay the meeting where the fate of an infant was being decided. Danzo was skilled in various forms of negotiations but it was clear that he wanted to have Naruto turned into the ultimate weapon. To hear Sarutobi firmly stand his ground on not doing that to the boy was one of the reason why Tsume still followed him.

Her disdain for Danzō also came from something she had heard as a rumor not too long after the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village. There was never any proof of it being more than a rumor but even the most rookie shinobi knew that there is always a grain of truth behind every rumor heard. That and she knew someone like Danzo wouldn't be against sending an assassination team after someone who opposed their views and she had seen more than one occasion where the two of them differed on how to handle village issues.

To put it simply, Tsume knew there was a strong possibility in that Danzō was working towards getting Naruto to come under his 'tutelage' and the sooner he could do it, the better.

But even Tsume knew that the most intricate plan can be derailed just by throwing in one pebble at any given moment.

By village law, Naruto was already considered an adult since he was a certified Shinobi despite his current age. Hana was older by several years but Tsume could already tell something growing between the two of them regardless of that fact. She had seen more than a few families of shinobi start as a result of one parent being just a little older than the other.

While Tsume was wrapping up in her musings about her daughter and her friend in her mind, she decided it was time to have a discussion with someone that had been following Naruto. Once she and her canine companion were in a secluded area of the Inuzuka Clan's forest, Tsume called out for the Jounin to make his presence known.

Normally, Tsume tolerated this particular Jounin's presence but that was only because it was during times when personal feelings had no place at the moment. Right now, she wasn't in the mood to act polite with him.

"So, Kakashi, can you tell me why I am not surprised that you followed Naruto here, to my clan's compound?" Tsume asked flat out at the much vaunted Copy Cat Shinobi.

Kakashi Hatake knew this woman didn't like him but now wasn't the time in dealing with personal animosity. "I was merely curious on who would share in Naruto's recent accomplishment."

"You know what? Spare me the routine indifference that you have mastered so well. The real reason you followed Naruto was to see if someone, specifically from my clan, had given him some insight into the Chunin Exam. Like what to expect and possibly how to beat the real test that was given by Ibiki."

"The thought had crossed my mind. Of course, how could it not?" Kakashi kept his composure relax even though he knew this woman was hoping for some sort of excuse to attack him which was something he could never really understand. He even kept an eye on Tsume's canine companion who, despite only having one eye, was definitely eyeing him as a possible threat.

"Like the same thought you had when you nominated your Genin. The one where you told Iruka and everyone else that it would be fun to watch Team 7 get crushed in the Chunin Exam." Tsume was no stranger to the concept that when training a shinobi, babying them wasn't an option. But she also knew that throwing them off a cliff and seeing which ones could climb back up, which was essentially what Kakashi just did, was too extreme for recently graduated Genin.

Even if one of them was as hard-headed as Naruto was. In fact, if Tsume had to decide between her son and Naruto for who was the most hard-headed of the two, she knew one day it would be her son and the next day would be Naruto.

"What we do isn't meant for children and those children need to grow up before it's too late." Kakashi didn't like having his teaching position challenged so openly, especially by someone who hadn't taught a Genin team in years. "Team 7 consists of one fan girl, an avenger, and hyperactive knucklehead. Getting them to work together as a team isn't easy. If they don't learn to work together in a situation like this then it's clear they might never when it counts."

Tsume could only shake her head and smile when Kakashi said that to her. Mostly since it reinforced a certain notion she had about the man. "Sadly Kakashi, it's already too late for your team and the first sign of that was when you nominated your team."

"Tsume, I know you're no stranger to the responsibilities of being a shinobi especially being a clan leader but even you should know that they…."

"Save it, Kakashi." Tsume had heard some of the excuses Kakashi had used and while Sarutobi essentially put up with it, Tsume always had to fight the urge to stuff Kakashi's orange porn book down his throat just so she wouldn't have to hear it. "You came here to know if someone had tipped Naruto off about the Chunin Exam and now you know he passed because of who he is. In fact, the only reason any of those Genin teams, including yours passed was because of Naruto and only Naruto.'

Before Tsume turned to leave Kakashi, mostly since her patience with him was almost gone, the clan leader remembered overhearing something that Naruto told Hana after passing Kakashi's unbeatable bell test. She turned to face the one-eye Jounin with a sly smile on her face.

"I just remembered something. Someone told Naruto that a nail that sticks out the most is the first to get hammered down. That maybe true for a lot of shinobi but you obviously forgot something."

Kakashi remembered when he said that to Naruto during the bell test. He also remembered how he didn't think much of Naruto and his abilities despite the fact he could create Shadow Clone with more ease and quantity than most seasoned Jounin.

"If you're trying to imply I hurt his feelings or pride…"

"And again you show your level of competence as a sensei." Tsume interrupted Kakashi, already knowing what he was going to say instead of what he should have said. "Naruto's been hammered down more times than there are pages combined in all those pathetic porn books you read. And yet, he doesn't stay hammered down, he doesn't stay where the ignorant want him to be. Any other Jounin that leads a Genin team would love to have a Genin like Naruto simply because of the potential he demonstrates and the will that cannot be broken."

"And this is the part where I remind you that he is my student, not yours nor is he a member of your clan. I have no objections if Naruto is a friend of your daughter but his training is my responsibility."

Tsume kept her sly smile in place despite the sudden urge to laugh when she heard Kakashi say the word 'responsibility'.

"For now, Kakashi." Tsume made sure her tone of voice deeply implied that whatever responsibilities Kakashi had in regards to Naruto weren't going to last much longer.

Kakashi narrowed his lone eye at Tsume who showed she wasn't even bothered in the least that she was starting to be seen as a threat to the man. The stare down between the two lasted several moments before Kakashi said that he had something else to do. Tsume wanted to say something as a shot against the man but she didn't want to waste her breath. Tsume knew the Jounin was skilled but over the years since he had gotten that Sharingan Eye of his, it made him forget what it was that his sensei had taught him about being a Shinobi of Konoha, about the Will of Fire.

Naruto had the Will of Fire in him. In fact, Tsume would go so far as to say he was probably the Will itself personified. In a way, the leader of the Inuzuka Clan was making sure the ignorance of the few in Konoha didn't extinguish the Will of Fire when during a time she felt it was needed now more than ever.

When the following morning came, all the Genin teams that had made to the next stage gathered just outside the entrance to the Forest of Death. The Jounin Anko Mitarashi was the exam proctor and pretty much proved herself to be the sexiest and scariest woman the gathered Genin would ever meet. Naruto tried to prove that he wasn't easily scared but he underestimated how far Anko would go to prove she was someone to be feared at any given time.

Naruto honestly thought that the 'crazy snake lady' would eat him after she threw a kunai which cut his cheek and she licked the blood from the wound.

Though Anko did enjoy instilling some fear into the Genin, she couldn't help but feel something was off with this particular group. Like something wasn't right and it was hidden in plain sight right in front of her.

Eventually Anko brushed that feeling aside and went through the protocols of the next phase of the exam. The main objective was to reach a tower structure that was located somewhere inside the Forest of Death within a set time limit. When someone asked where the tower was, Anko told them that they would have to find it on their own as part of this exam and the only way to find it was by having two scrolls in their possession. Anko showed the gathered Genin the two different scrolls, one marked "Heaven" and the other "Earth".

Each team would be given one scroll but they needed both scrolls in order to find the tower and pass this part of the exam which told everyone there that the Genin were going to be pitted against each other. They were also told that they were not to open and read what was inside the scroll but when Anko said it, she made sure to plant a seed of doubt that the rules she was giving them weren't real rules. It was somewhat the same tactic that Ibiki used during the written portion of the Chunin Exam but Anko decided that too many Genin made it this far and it was time to really find out which team had what it took to become Chunin.

Once all Genin turned in their consent form in order to be allowed entrance into the Forest of Death and then given either a Heaven or Earth Scroll, Anko allowed each Genin team entrance but made sure that none of them tried any ambush tactics right away like getting the jump on any other team right from the beginning. Normally such tactics were common place on a mission but this exam was meant to test Genin in many ways, including how to adapt to unfamiliar situations as quickly as possible.

After all the Genin teams were thoroughly scattered into the Forest of Death, Anko closed and sealed the entrance but not before yelling out that if anyone dies in the Forest of Death, Konoha is under no orders to retrieve their bodies since in all likelihood the enormous animals that live in the forest would have already eaten and digested them. Anko imagined some of the more rookie Genin were probably wetting themselves after she finish yelling out that she wasn't kidding about the enormous animals.

Ten minutes after entering the Forest of Death, Team 7 had stopped in an area that Sasuke had deemed safe enough for a quick discussion.

"Alright. Since we're going against other Genin Teams from different villages, with some of those teams definitely having uniquely skilled members, we're going to have to come up with a plan before going any further into this place." Sasuke said while he, Sakura and Naruto were crouched down in order to keep their voices low.

"Well we can't go any further without getting the other scroll. We have the Heaven Scroll so our next move should be getting the Earth Scroll." Naruto said while keeping an eye on his surrounding as per his training from Hana.

"That's a big problem if you think about it. We can't simply attack any Genin team we come across. If they don't have the right scroll then we end up getting in a pointless fight. Not only that but we also run the risk of getting too badly hurt so when we end up finding the team that has the scroll we need, we would be at serious disadvantage." Sakura added while wondering what it was they were going to do next.

"That's one problem we're facing. The other is that some of those teams that are after our scroll won't use direct tactics at us. They may try to pass off as one of us in order to get the scroll. To make sure we know who's who, we have to come up with a unique phrase so that in case we get separated, we'll know they are who they say they are." Sasuke said while thinking of the appropriate phrase to use.

Once Sasuke figured out what phrase would work for his team, he quietly told both Sakura and Naruto what it was. After he finished, Naruto sheepishly told the other two that nature was calling him and he had to excuse himself for a moment. Sakura instantly scolded him about this being the worst time and place for it but Naruto didn't really listen as he quickly disappeared from sight.

While Sakura openly said how much of a knucklehead Naruto was, Sasuke still scanned the area with his senses. Now was not the time to think that they were in an area where they could lower their guard for a moment. It was also times like this that Sasuke wondered if his teammates were actually trying to be a burden for him to carry.

It was then Sasuke felt a sudden rush of wind but it was subtle enough to where it was almost unnoticeable. Sasuke thought at first it was a simple breeze passing through but where they had stopped was something of a dead zone for wind, at least that's what the Uchiha figured.

A moment later, Naruto emerged and said he was finished. Before they moved, Sasuke asked Naruto what was the phrase so he could prove who he was. Naruto easily repeated the phrase word for word. Sakura was impressed since she figured Naruto wouldn't remember anything other than what kind of ramen is served at his favorite ramen stand. Sasuke said nothing except that they should head near the center of the forest since it was possible the tower was near that location.

Team 7 had had only traveled a short amount of distance before Sasuke did something no one would have suspected. He openly attacked Naruto with a spin kick that connected with his head. Naruto crashed against a tree before falling down to the forest floor.

"What the Hell? What was that for Sasuke?!" Naruto yelled out while holding the side of his head that got kicked. The kick even caused him to have a split lip with a little blood coming out of the wound.

"Drop the disguise. I know you're not Naruto." Sasuke said while grabbing a kunai out its holster.

"What do you mean?" Sakura was completely confused when she saw Sasuke attack Naruto. She became even more confused at what Sasuke said.

"Standard tactic for infiltration: pick the weakest of the team and replace him so as to hide among the team without the others realizing until it's too late. Also, the real Naruto wouldn't have remembered what I told him which was why I chose that phrase in the first place." Sasuke felt proud of himself at the moment, being that he was able to pick out an impostor so easily.

Sakura mentally chastised herself at something that was so blatantly obvious in regards to their teammate. It also reminded her that her teammates were getting better at being shinobi with almost each passing day while she wasn't.

The fake Naruto let out a rather sinister-like laugh before dropping the disguise and reveal that it was a Grass-Nin they were facing. Once his true appearance was revealed, he proved to Sasuke that he had a sadistic side when he licked away the blood that came from his wound on his lips.

"Guess I shouldn't have expected anything less from an Uchiha. Either this village is actually being competent in training you or your just probably a genius just like your brother." The Grass-Nin said while reaching for something behind his back. Sasuke instantly recognized it as an Earth Scroll but he was also thinking about what the enemy just said.

Whatever the case may be, Sasuke would get what he needed after he beat this Genin senseless. The Uchiha actually felt a twinge of excitement when he saw that the Grass-Nin had exactly what they needed. Even Sakura believed that this was definitely a stroke of good luck for them, most since she figured the odds were in their favor because the Grass-Nin was outnumbered.

"As stated by the Konoha Jounin, you need this in order to pass this part of the exam. The same is said for me since I need your scroll. So, what shall we do about this?" The Grass-Nin was definitely exuding confidence at the current situation. But Sasuke didn't buy it for a second, believing that the enemy in front of him was making a bluff since another tactic in battle was to disrupt the enemy's mental state in any way possible.

Sasuke was on guard since it was possible the Grass-Nin's teammates were nearby and probably ready to spring an ambush on him and Sakura. The Uchiha had already assumed that Naruto was engaged in combat, captured or possible dead. He even assumed that Sakura wouldn't be able to provide much support in the imminent battle which left him with two decisions.

Launch an attack right now and take the Earth Scroll from the Grass-Nin, or retreat to a different location so to see if the other teammates of the Grass-Nin were nearby.

The second choice left a vile taste in his mouth. Sasuke was the last of the Uchiha and as such, he had a legacy to honor and to even think of the possibility of retreating was a slap in the face of such a legacy.

Unfortunately, Sasuke didn't have a chance to come up with any kind of battle strategy since the Grass-Nin felt the boy was taking too much time. The Grass-Nin lifted his right hand up to his right eye and touched the bottom eyelid. Sasuke did wonder what he was doing but when he recognized it being part of a sealess Genjutsu, it was already too late.

Physically Sasuke and Sakura were fine but their senses were telling their bodies had just been blasted but a hailstorm of kunai and shuriken. It took every ounce of willpower Sasuke had to break the Genjutsu by stabbing himself in the leg with a kunai he had in his hand and all of this speed and strength to carry Sakura away through the treeline when the Grass-Nin was moving towards them.

Even though he was moving as fast as he could possibly go while carrying Sakura, Sasuke didn't even get more than 30 yards before the Grass-Nin appeared in front of them on a branch that was above them.

"Hmm, I'm terribly disappointed. First you could barely handle that Genjutsu and it wasn't even a C-Ranked Jutsu. And now, the first sign of trouble, you run like a whipped dog. Guess the Uchiha Clan is truly lost if one of the only remaining two survivors can't stand his ground."

All those words hit Sasuke like a thrown brick. In his mind, there was no way this Shinobi was stronger than he was since nothing but Genin were in this area and even if he had some powerful jutsus that he could use, they would be nothing against the Sharingan. Right now, this wasn't the time let himself even think of the idea of backing down.

Sasuke helped Sakura overcome the Genjutsu but he knew she wouldn't be able to help him in this fight. At least he didn't have to worry about her being too much of a liability at the moment.

With a kunai in had, Sasuke charged at the Grass-Nin with the intent of ending the fight as quickly as possible. Using some of his clan's techniques with a kunai, Sasuke was able to make it seem he was going to strike from one direction but actually strike from another at the last moment. However, somehow this Genin either easily predicted his movements or didn't care that Sasuke's kunai had just impaled the Grass-Nin's left hand. The wound wasn't severe but it also wasn't easily ignored and yet the Grass-Nin didn't even flinch when he got stabbed.

"One thing you'll learn if you survive this day, Little Uchiha is that a true Shinobi is a master of their body, making pain mean nothing to them." The Grass-Nin said while still having that same sadistic-like smile on his face as well as still exuding a strong sense of self-confidence.

Without missing a beat, the Grass-Nin grabbed Sasuke's hand that was holding the kunai and twisted his entire arm, causing Sasuke to lose his balance. Before he could recover, Sasuke was punched in the stomach which knocked almost all the air out of his lungs. He was then backhanded which sent him flying off the tree branch he was fighting the Grass-Nin on. Sasuke did recover quickly from the fall and was able to launch another attack by sending a kunai with an explosive tag on it at the Grass-Nin. Sasuke didn't expect it to hit the Grass-Nin but it at least made him move in a direction he wanted him to move.

When the Grass-Nin rather nonchalantly dodged the explosion, Sasuke was already in position to send his signature Fireball Jutsu at him but that proved pointless since the Grass-Nin used a substitution Jutsu. Before he could scan the area on where the Grass-Nin might be at, Sasuke felt something unmistakable pressing against the side of his neck.

"That was sloppy Little Uchiha. You let your guard down while you attacked. In fact, your guard has been down the entire time. You haven't even kept an eye on your comrade which means that I or my teammates could have attacked her at any time and you wouldn't be able to stop them."

Sasuke had learned how to keep his face neutral but it was clear what he was feeling now when a drop of sweat started to roll down on the side of his head. The Grass-Nin saw this and decided to have some more fun. He looked over at Sakura who finally regained all of her senses and decided to use her for the next round of the predator playing with the prey.

The Grass-Nin elbowed Sasuke in the head before moving over to where Sakura was like a snake coiling around the branches. Being startled by the freakish movement, Sakura didn't know what to at the moment but it was already too late.

But just as the Grass-Nin was almost with arm's reach of Sakura, several shuriken came flying out of nowhere and stopped the Grass-Nin in his tracks. When everyone looked in the general direction of where the shuriken came from, all three of them saw a smug looking Naruto standing on a branch above them.

"Hey, Sasuke, before I get started, what was the password phrase again?" Naruto had a hunch that when Sasuke told him what the password was in order to prove their identity, Sasuke must have known he never would have remembered it easily or on the first try.

During this break in the action, the Grass-Nin quickly moved away and repositioned himself where he had a clear view of all three members of Team 7.

"Well now, this is definitely unexpected. I would've figured you already have been digested by my pet snake." The Grass-Nin faked the tone of voice that was used when one was disappointed. He may not have anticipated that Naruto would have escaped but he still didn't count him as a threat.

"What kind of a whacked-out Shinobi keeps a snake that's the size of a building as a pet?" Naruto still had a hard time believing that he had just escaped from the belly of that snake but he was damn glad he didn't wind up as a meal all the same.

"A fearless one." The tone of voice was lost on Naruto but Sakura and Sasuke got the hidden meaning behind the Grass-Nin's words.

That was more than enough to confirm that this one Shinobi was more than a match for all three of them combined. Even with his Sharingan, Sasuke knew that there was no way they could come out of a fight with this monster of a Genin alive. Out of all the few options he saw at the moment, the only thing that ensured their survival was forfeiting their Heaven Scroll.

Sasuke retrieved the scroll from his pouch and held it out. "This is what you're after. If I give it to you, do you swear to leave us alone."

Sakura and Naruto were immediately surprised at what Sasuke was doing. Naruto even yelled out at Sasuke if he had taken leave of his mind since what he was doing was the dumbest thing he had ever done. Sasuke didn't care what Naruto thought of him since he hadn't battle the Grass-Nin and saw what he was capable of. But in retrospect, Sasuke should have made some comment about that fact instead of telling Naruto to shut up and stay out the matter.

When the Grass-Nin replied by saying they had his word he would leave them alone once he had the scroll, Sasuke tossed it to him. The scroll didn't even make it halfway to the Grass-Nin before Naruto flew down and snatched it out of the air. Sasuke screamed at Naruto for doing the stupidest thing and not staying out of it like he had told him to do. Naruto's response to Sasuke's tirade on lack of intelligence was a left hook that knocked him off his feet.

Before Sakura could ask what Naruto was doing, she noticed the look in his eye. It told her that Naruto felt betrayed at what Sasuke had just done.

Naruto looked down at Sasuke who had a completely stunned look on his face. "I know I'm not the smartest person around or even on this team and I know I have no idea what the password phrase is. But at least I know who I am and it's not a coward!"

That really hurt Sasuke when he heard that but he couldn't find his tongue to make some kind of response.

After tucking the Heaven Scroll in an inside pocket, Naruto turned his attention to the Grass-Nin. "If you can't handle this fight then don't get in my way."

Again, Sasuke and even Sakura wanted to say something in response to what Naruto had said but what could they say to someone who openly made the vow to never back down. A vow that was made literally with his own flesh and blood.

As Naruto and the Grass-Nin stared down each other, the Leaf-Nin remembered something Hana told him long before his first mission out of the village.

 **-Past-**

"Naruto, there's something I've been wondering. Specifically something that is taught in the academy but I'm guessing it wasn't taught to you."

Naruto stopped devouring his third bowl of ramen noodles after he heard what Hana had said to him. He turned his head so he could face her and his eyes asked the unspoken question.

"Aside from all the textbooks that they make you read, or in your case, don't read…" Hana dismissed the comical angry look Naruto shot at her but she continued. "…the first thing they supposedly teach in class is the meaning of a vow of a Shinobi. Particularly the first vow you take once you become a Genin of this village."

Naruto thought about that but his mind was drawing a blank. When Hana noticed that Naruto didn't say anything right away, it answered something she had suspicions about.

"Naruto, I know that whenever you make a promise, you keep it no matter what. A vow is like a promise but what makes it different is that a vow is a promise to yourself." Hana saw the usual puzzled look on Naruto's face, something she had gotten used to seeing since it seemed he barely knew anything beyond even the basic of lessons. "A vow will truly test you if you ever make one."

Hana looked Naruto right in his eyes to show how serious she was about to be. "Promise me Naruto that when do make a vow, it won't be a spur of the moment thing. It'll be a vow you've made with a clear heart and mind."

 **-Present-**

Naruto remembered those words from Hana when he made that vow to protect bridge builder Tazuna. He didn't act out of haste when he made it nor did he regret it at all. But he also remembered he had made another vow the night he had earned his headband from Iruka. Naruto had made a vow to protect those he cared about and though he wouldn't openly admit it, he did care about his teammates equally.

But right now both Sakura and Sasuke were gripped with fear, that was something Naruto could easily see. He needed to get them back in the fight and the only way he could think of was by showing them this Grass-Nin was beatable.

Despite what Hana had taught him about the rules of battle, Naruto flew right at the Grass-Nin. His plan was to try to overwhelm the Grass-Nin with the usage of his Shadow Clones and right now, Naruto was hoping that the Grass-Nin didn't know that was his forte.

However, the Grass-Nin didn't give Naruto any chance to mount an attack. Naruto may not have been well-versed in Taijutsu but he definitely didn't recognize the moves the Grass-Nin used. He strangely dodged Naruto's kunai strike and though it looked like he was off-balance, Naruto didn't see the kick until after it hit him. As strong as it was, Naruto figured that it was meant to knock him out but he had endure worse hits before. Naruto knew how much it would take to stop him and he figured that this opponent was no different which gave Naruto an idea for his next tactic.

Using the Shadow Clone Jutsu, Naruto created at least ten clones which surrounded the Grass-Nin. Before they attacked, Naruto decided to use a paper bomb he had brought with him along with his other tools and weapons. Sending a silent command to the other clones, Naruto created two more clones and then joined the two in a direct attack at the Grass-Nin. The purpose of this attack was so that the Grass-Nin wouldn't see what Naruto had really planned until it was too late.

Naruto had learned that his ability to use the Shadow Clone technique copied everything that he had on him and that included paper bombs. Naruto had tried this technique once before with Hana during one of their training sessions and learned there was a serious setback to using it but now wasn't the time to play it safe.

Hopefully the headache he was about to get would only last half a day this time around.

Just as Naruto and two of his clones were within about arms reach of the Grass-Nin, the ten other clones made their move as well. The first two clones latched onto the Grass-Nin while the real Naruto delivered a kick into his mid-section. Naruto didn't care if it affected him or not since the kick was also meant to push Naruto away from the inevitable explosion from the other clones. The hyperactive blonde didn't have to see if his plan worked since he knew that a Shadow Clone sends all of his experience back to the original once the clone is dispel or destroyed.

The experience of being blown up was something Naruto didn't care for but it did tell him all ten clones exploded right on top of the Grass-Nin. When he landed, Naruto looked at the site where the enemy was and noticed the branch he was one standing on was completely gone. That already told Naruto that the Grass-Nin wasn't dead since even ten paper bombs weren't strong enough to vaporize someone. Hurt them severely at the very best but not completely obliterate them.

"Now that was impressive. To think someone as young as yourself has such mastery over the Shadow Clone technique. But then again, you're probably getting some help with that."

The voice came from behind so Naruto instinctively moved from his spot but he didn't get far. The Grass-Nin grabbed Naruto by his leg and threw him into a nearby tree. The impact definitely stunned Naruto long enough for the Grass-Nin get right up to him and grab him by the throat. The grip was definitely strong as a vice which meant Naruto wasn't getting as much air in his lungs as he needed.

"From the moment I heard you had entered into the Chunin Exam, I wondered what would happen because of your presence. Turns out you're more of a problem than I want to deal with. The both of you." The Grass-Nin punched Naruto in the stomach several times before throwing off to the side. "But like all problems, all you need is the proper amount of force to knock it aside."

Naruto was on his side, trying to get air back in his lungs. However, the Grass-Nin kicked him in the side and then dropped his foot right on his stomach. There was an audible 'crack' which probably meant the Grass-Nin broke one, maybe several of Naruto's ribs. The Grass-Nin then grabbed Naruto by his throat again and then raised in him in the air but it wasn't his hands he was using. Naruto, even Sasuke and Sakura, were both surprised and disgusted that the Grass-Nin was using an impossible long tongue to hold Naruto by his throat.

The Leaf-Nin desperately tried to break free but he was unable to before the Grass-Nin did something to him. Sasuke and Sakura watched the Grass-Nin do some kind of Jutsu before stabbing Naruto in his mid-section. Whatever he had done caused Naruto to scream out in pain. When Naruto went limp, the Grass-Nin basically flicked him off of his tongue. He landed onto another branch below and it was clear Naruto was out cold from the way he landed.

"Hmm, I believe I should rethink my opinion on the training methods here. A nobody was able to devise a method that almost no one else would suspect as an attack while the last Uchiha who has been given the title Rookie Genin of the Year of this village cowers in fear. But then again, it's possible something is holding you back."

It was at this moment the Grass-Nin expanded his stomach, pushed on it in order to what appeared to be a sword coming out of his mouth. This was the final clue for Sasuke about this Grass-Nin. He had suspected that this was no ordinary Genin and now he was certain.

With the sword in his hand, the Grass-Nin looked at both Sakura and Sasuke with an especially sadistic gaze in his eyes. "Maybe I should kill off the girl and the blonde so that way you can finally fight without restrictions."

The Grass-Nin charged at the two Leaf-Nin, clearly with the intent to kill Sakura with one strike. Sasuke was able push Sakura aside and dodge the strike while but the Grass-Nin didn't let up his attack. Sasuke tried to stop the Grass-Nin himself but was knocked aside by a kick without the enemy even breaking his stride. Sakura called out for Sasuke but she saw that he was badly hurt from that kick. When she notice the Grass-Nin's presence was right next to her.

Sakura looked up and saw that the Grass-Nin was about the deliver downward slash. Sasuke saw this as well and knew right it was a killing strike. The last Uchiha had no way to save Sakura in time. Time seemed to slow down for Sasuke as the sword came down to end Sakura's life. It was only as the last second that Sasuke witnessed something he could not really believe.

Naruto came out of nowhere and tackled the Grass-Nin. He had hit him so hard that both fell right off the branch but Naruto didn't recover from the fall as easily as the Grass-Nin did.

"Will you stop interfering?!" The Grass-Nin yelled out before slashing at Naruto with his sword. The blade got Naruto in the face, specifically his right eye area. Sakura and Sasuke saw the spray of blood from the slash splash on the trees, they heard the scream of pain coming from Naruto for losing his right eye.

To make sure that Naruto wouldn't interfere any more, the Grass-Nin did a jutsu that caused the winds to swirl around him and then around his sword. The sword was then pointed at Naruto and at that moment, it was like a tornado was fired point blank at Naruto. The power behind it sent Naruto flying through the air like a rocket. He flew through several branches of various sizes before he entered into a clearing and then crashed through the trunk of a large tree.

The Grass-Nin followed where Naruto had been blasted to but he didn't pursue him despite seeing the hole in the tree that told him where he landed. He initially wanted to take the boy's head to ensure that he was no longer a threat of any kind. He even made sure the seal he had placed on Naruto would interfere with his ability to draw on the demon's power he had sealed inside of him. But since Naruto landed inside Konoha's famous World Tree, even he would not pursue the hyperactive knucklehead.

Even if the Genin was still able to fight after all of that, the Grass-Nin knew he wouldn't be able to interfere with what his plans were for the Uchiha.

Since no one ever ventured near the World Tree, other than to see what it looked like from a distance, there was no way to know that the inside of the World Tree was hollow. But it wasn't smooth hollow like bamboo or any other normal tree and that fact proved rather deadly to Naruto. The inside of the World Tree was more or less jagged and Naruto fell against the majority of them.

His body underwent the worst kind on injuries Naruto had ever experienced. He broke several bones all over his body, both his legs were essentially shattered and his right arm was snapped in two. Even his back sustained heavy injuries but luckily his spine didn't break. And despite all this pain, Naruto was barely aware that he was falling. How long he fell, Naruto didn't know but he did become aware that his fall lead him to a black void. Seconds later, Naruto felt himself land in a deep pool of water.

With only one barely working arm, it took some serious effort for Naruto to swim back to the surface and even more effort to keep himself afloat. Since everything was completely black, Naruto had no idea where he was, only that it was a huge cavern because of the echoes he heard from his splashing and gasps for breath.

Anyone else who had just endured what Naruto had would either have panicked or think of whatever possible means to survive because of their current predicament. But Naruto's only thought was about his teammates. The Grass-Nin had easily defeated him and took his eye which meant that if enemy went back to his teammates, only Sasuke might have a chance but not Sakura.

' _Gotta get back to them. I'm not dead, not yet. There must be something I can do.'_ Naruto thought to himself while trying to block out the pain his body was feeling. Since he couldn't see where he was, Naruto figured that his best bet would be to try and swim and hope he would reach some kind of land inside this void of a cavern.

The vow that Naruto made that night, it was the only thing that was repeating over and over in his mind. So much so that it was in perfect sync with his own heartbeat. Naruto could hear his heartbeat with each beat itself being like a strike of thunder within him.

It was then Naruto started to hear something, like thunder itself was inside the cavern. It was like his own heart was calling down the thunder itself. Despite the echoes bouncing off the walls, Naruto was able to tell where this sound was coming from. Turning to the direction of the sound, Naruto saw a faint light, a light that was in some way telling him to come closer.

Again, for anyone else to hear such a request, they would do so with some form of hesitation but not Naruto. His teammates needed him and he wasn't about to abandon them. Something deep inside of him was telling him he had to move towards the faint light.

' **How will you save them in your state?'**

Naruto heard that but had no idea where it came from or who said it. "It doesn't matter! I'll still help them even if...I still only have one breath...of air in my lungs!"

Another crack of thunder was the first response Naruto had got but when the rumbling subsided, the hidden voice spoke again.

' **Words mean nothing. You claim you will fight to your last breath but you drawing your final breaths and you're far from being able to put up a fight.'**

"I still stand by what I've said! I swear on my life I will fight to protect!"

Naruto was finding it harder and harder to keep himself afloat but he wasn't about to give up now, not after what he just said with every ounce of conviction he had. This voice, whoever was speaking, was challenging him and Naruto never backed down from a challenge yet and wasn't about to do so now of all times.

For several moments, nothing was heard save for Naruto's swimming actions. Naruto thought for a moment that he hallucinated the entire conversation he was having with the shadow voice.

' **If your desire to save your comrades in arms is truly genuine then I can grant you the strength to save them.'**

"What's… the catch?" Naruto yelled out as best as he could at the small flicker of light. The old saying 'once bitten, twice shy' played it's role here for Naruto. He didn't fully trust this voice and he distinctly remembered not saying anything about his teammates openly or his desire to protect them so how was this voice able to know that?

' **A test. . . Do you have the courage to grasp the light?'**

Naruto had no idea what that mean but at the same time, he actually took that as a challenge. He knew that his body was badly hurt and knew what his teammates were in danger. If this voice could give him a chance to help them, it was worth it, whatever the risk.

With his remaining strength, Naruto swam towards the small light. Eventually he got to what felt like a sandbar. It took much effort with one arm to drag himself out of the water and onto the land and even more so pulling himself closer to the small orb of light. What Naruto didn't notice because of the complete darkness of the cavern was that his body had been cut up enough from the fall to where he was bleeding badly.

Naruto's body was quickly losing strength, almost as fast as each second passed. The only thought that was still coherent in his mind was his vow to protect those he cared for, including his teammates.

"Have to… protect… my friends. I must… protect… them…"

With that last word, that last plea to whoever could hear it, Naruto passed out completely. His good arm tried to reach out to the orb of light before he passed out but it was just beyond his reach. But not his blood. Though his arm wasn't badly injured, there was a bad cut on his palm and the blood from the wound lightly flowed out. Eventually the blood formed a path to the light and when it touched, the light dimmed for a moment before it became bright enough to illuminate the whole cavern easily.

The Eye of Odin could see through the blood of this person in front of it was of a pure soul and a strong heart. His will, even his very soul was even stronger than most. Quite possibly including Odin himself. All of this proved one undeniable possibility; this boy had makings of a warrior, possibly the greatest ever to live upon this land.

Before, the Eye was content to remain where it was until its owner came for it or until the end of time. However, just now, it had found someone that was deemed worthy and for someone of such character to be found outside of Asgard, that in itself spoke volumes of what this boy could accomplish in his world.

Now having found someone that was worthy, the eye took them ghost form of the All-Father himself and stood before the unconscious teenager.

" **When men met foes in a fight, better is the stout heart than a sharp sword."** The eye said to the teenager, knowing that despite the obvious, he was hearing every word spoken to him. **"We do not bend our knee in supplication to those above and below. Nor do we beg them to do so for us. We neither need nor ask for any gods forgiveness. We are not born into sin or paradise. We are born to be the best that we can be."**

Had Naruto saw the being before him, seeing him in what was considered traditional warrior Viking attire, he might've thought this 'man' before him was the scariest person he had ever seen. Even being a ghost with one eye, he was more intimidating than the first time Team 7 fought against Zabuza Momochi. Since this was the manifestation of Odin himself, a god among warriors, Naruto's view wouldn't have been that far off.

The being knelt before the wounded teenager and place his 'hand' on top of Naruto's head before speaking what would become words of fate. **"So Naruto Uzumaki...be born as the warrior you truly are."**

It was at this moment where the cavern beneath the World Tree began filling with light. Before it became too blinding, the light itself wrapped around Naruto Uzumaki gently as if the teenager had just gone to sleep and he wrapped himself in the most comfortable blanket there was.

Outside of the World Tree, the Grass-Nin had defeated the last Uchiha after the boy displayed beyond impressive skills as a Genin of his age. The tactics he had used would have defeated any other Genin even a Chunin but the Grass-Nin wasn't just any Shinobi. He had seen what needed to see with Sasuke Uchiha and now, his plans for the last Uchiha were set into motion.

He was also right that in order to get to see what the Uchiha was capable of. After seeing one of his teammate killed in front of him and one that was about to be next, Sasuke finally found the will he needed to face a superior opponent. That kind of mentality was tricky but it wasn't beyond his measure of manipulation. All that was left was to see if the 'gift' he had just bestowed upon Sasuke didn't kill him.

Sakura was currently trying her best to tend to Sasuke who was showing how much in agony he was in after being bitten by the Grass-Nin. She was just about to demand from the Grass-Nin on what it was that he had done to Sasuke when she felt something. The Grass-Nin even felt it as well and despite the fact of the intense pain of what Sasuke was mostly feeling, even he could feel something otherworldly growing beneath the ground.

Slowly the ground itself started to show signs of something happening below, as there was a growing rumble. The rumble grew until all the trees in the Forest of Death began to shake. Then there was a pulsing sound, extremely similar like a heartbeat but a heartbeat that didn't seem to belong in nature started to grow as well. It didn't take more than a moment to realize where the sound was coming from. Sakura and the Grass-Nin turned their attention to the World Tree and saw that it was actually glowing pure white with each sound.

Though Sakura and the Grass-Nin were the closest to the World Tree, what it was doing easily caught the attention of everyone that was in the forest as well as the people in Konoha itself. The Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi felt it from his office and what he felt worried him.

The last time Hiruzen felt something on such a scale like this, was when the Nine-Tailed Fox engaged on its rampage against Konoha, thirteen years ago. Its power was nearly too much to bear to anyone, except the most powerful Shinobi, and what he was feeling was almost alike, yet it was vastly different. The only thing he knew for sure at the moment was that the source of such feeling was deep into the area of the Forest of Death and the only thing that could be the possible source of this growing power was the World Tree.

The very second that suspicion entered into his mind, in the direction of the Forest of Death, a sudden flash of light that actually overpowered the light of the sun came from where the Forest of Death was. It only lasted long enough for everyone who saw it to register in their minds before it vanished as quickly as it happened.

While everyone else who saw it created their own speculations as to what was behind the cause, only Hiruzen thought about something else entirely.

' _Please let it not be Naruto or anyone related to the boy. He has had a hard enough life.'_

As much as Hiruzen Sarutobi wanted any deity in the Heavens to hear his prayer, it would go unanswered. Something much more than just one Heaven had just been set into motion and then in time it would involve several worlds across unimaginable distances.

In the realm of Asgard, Odin was sitting in his throne room when he felt something he had not felt in ages. He had felt a trace of his own power ripple across the realms. Odin had resigned himself that his right eye had been lost ever since that day but there was no mistaking the faint power surge he felt. Nevertheless, the All-Father of Asgard knew that the only way for what he felt to happen was that his Eye somehow it bonded with someone else. If his Eye was now bonded to someone, it meant that person had his powers and quite possibly his knowledge. But also little to no experience on how to use them. That meant the real possibility of that world's destruction and Odin himself would be indirectly linked to it's destruction.

Now that he knew his eye was out there, Odin wasted no more time in seeking it out. He would first have to seek the consult of his mages and Heimdall before he could send a scouting party outside the Nine Realms. Odin hoped that he was the only one that knew of this turn of events since if any of his enemies knew this as well, it would become a race that Odin could not afford to lose.

In the realm of Muspelheim, Surtur himself also felt the faint surge of Odin's power but the Fire Demon knew that Odin was in his own realm of Asgard while this surge of power clearly came outside the Nine Realms. Like Odin, Surtur had believed the Eye was lost but now the demon knew better. It also meant that his chance for revenge against Odin was now better than ever. Once he found where the Eye was, it would mark the final days before all of Asgard fell before him.

Between these two powers of essentially Heaven and Hell of another reality, the fate of a teenager and his world, his reality was now a path that had no clear direction or destination. There was a war coming that would involve countless worlds and lives and in the middle of it, all was one teenager who, in essence was the embodiment of good and evil.

And his choices are what allows him to be on both sides. So what choices will Naruto Uzumaki make once he realizes he has the ability to see what no one else in his world can see?

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A little tricky getting this fic off the ground but it's doable. Once the next chapter is done, then I can get this story on the path I want it to be on.

Anyways, read and review plz.


	3. Chapter 2: A Warrior Reborn

Disclaimer: Own nothing of Naruto or Marvel Comics and do not make any profit from this

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Quick Author Note: For the duration of this fic, Naruto's world will be called Earth and homeworld of the heroes of the Marvel Comics will be called Midgard since it is mostly referred to as such by the Asgardians in the first place.

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 **Chapter 2: A Warrior Reborn**

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 **-Asgard-**

The All-Father of Asgard had learned long ago how to keep his face like chiseled stone, to show no emotions save for those on the battlefield. Countless years and countless battles had taught him how to do so with minimal effort now and yet even the lord of all Asgardians can experience the foreboding feeling of a very dreaded uncertainty.

Even though it has only been a day at the most since he felt the surge of his power, the reality of it all made Odin confront a fear he had hoped he never have to deal with. To deal with a fear is no easy feat, even for mortal or gods since there are times they are founded in something that justifies that fear. For Odin, his fear was someone finding his eye and using it for their own gains and the best example of that was with Surtur and with the very mage who crafted his eye into a talisman in the first place.

But the more Odin thought about the current situation, the possibility of this being a worse fear than before slowly entered into his mind.

It was clear that his lost eye was now bonded to someone but what kind of person was the current question. Odin knew from the stories he had heard from his sons Thor, Loki, and Balder of the people of Midgard and how when some had gained power, they did atrocities that even his stepson Loki hadn't yet to dream of. One enemy Thor had faced with his allies on Midgard was a tyrannical mortal with delusional dreams of grandeur going by the name of Dr. Doom but as Thor told it, this mortal was anything but a medical doctor and believed himself to be a god limited to mortal form.

Another enemy that his son Thor spoke of that was an ever constant threat to Midgard was a temporal being known as Kang the Conqueror. His son told him that this Kang actually managed to conquer all of Midgard and it was only by a slim chance that Thor and his allies managed to defeat him after that and restore the world to peace.

Of course there were others that proved themselves as heroes of legends such as the mortal called Captain America. Both Thor and Balder as well as Loki admitted that he was probably THE most honorable warrior on all of Midgard. The best example of that was this mortal was able to wield Mjolnir more than once and in Odin's view, that proves the worth of this one man. The enchantments around Mjolnir could not be fooled and can peer into the soul of the user to deem if they were worthy or not. Of all the actions Odin has ever done, to make sure Mjolnir was safeguarded continually proved to be one of his bests.

Another such being that seemed to experience this problem more often than not about gaining power was one known only as the Hulk. An emerald brute whose tales of his rage still echo throughout most of Asgard itself. But the Hulk, as his son Thor had told him, proved to be an honorable warrior that gets caught in the most unfortunate circumstances most of the time. It was possible that whoever found his eye was similar to Captain America but Odin had learned that one can hope for the best but still has to expect the worst.

Odin had already talked to several mages and each one concurred that in order to find where his eye was, another flare would have to sent up. The one that Odin felt was the same as a matchstick being struck and that was because where his eye was, it was far outside the known reality of Asgard, possibly all of creationg itself. That meant for the exact location of the eye to be known, the flare would have to be along the lines of a bonfire. In Asgardian terms, a bonfire could easily scorched a city, probably even a continent completely off the world where the eye was.

Even Heimdall himself had told Odin that every attempt to see where his eye was ended in failure. Odin knew that Heimdall would not stop until he located the eye but there were very few things in all of existence that would block or even obscure Heimdall's ability to see. As little as that might have told anyone else, it told Odin much.

Another thing Odin knew that told him much was that Surtur was probably the only other being searching for his eye and the Fire Demon was in a similar situation as well. Time and again over the ages, Odin knew that Surtur tried to lay waste to Asgard during the Odinsleep but was always defeated. His enemy may have always rebuilt his forces or gained new strengths in time for the next Odinsleep but that didn't mean he had given up in his own search for Odin's missing eye.

The Fire Demon and the Lord of Asgard could not do anything to find the eye until another strong signal was sent.

That meant when the signal was sent, it would be the start of a race and one where Odin could not afford to lose.

 **-Earth-**

It had been only a day at most since Team 7 fought the lone Grass-Nin and so far, Sakura Haruno still had no idea what to do. Her teammates were alive but they were completely unconscious. She tried desperately to think of something that could help them but nothing came to mind and it didn't help matters they were still being hunted by other Genin Teams. Team 7 had managed to retain their scroll but that was good as the good news got. The bad news didn't seem to have any end in Sakura's view.

The words the Grass-Nin spoke before leaving still haunted Sakura's mind. That he had somehow given her teammate a 'gift' and now what was happening to him was a test to see if he was worthy of such a gift. The Grass-Nin also said that Sasuke Uchiha had a small chance of proving himself worthy and if he wasn't worthy, then he would die. That alone would be more than enough to worry about but Sakura then remembered how the Grass-Nin told her that Sasuke, if he survived the next several days, would in time seek him out for more power for the darkness in his heart was already craving more.

Sakura didn't know what to make of those words. She knew that Sasuke wasn't exactly a person that exuded sunshine and happiness most of the time. But the words she heard told her of a different view of Sasuke, one that she almost couldn't believe was part of him.

Whatever the case maybe, the only thing Sakura knew for certain was that Sasuke's body was practically hot to the touch. Like the Grass-Nin had injected fire into Sasuke's blood and he was burning alive from the inside. Sakura did what she could to keep Sasuke's temperature down but he needed more medical help than a field kit and some simple medical know-how could provide.

But all of that was only half of the problem of the current situation.

The other half was Sakura's other teammate, Naruto Uzumaki and how some things about him at the moment didn't add up.

Before the Grass-Nin blasted Naruto away with a powerful wind jutsu, Sakura clearly saw that Naruto lost his right eye. He had lost it when he saved Sakura's life but that was only the beginning of the mystery. The wind jutsu that Sakura saw used on Naruto wasn't something a Genin would know and it was definitely intended to be used as a heavy attack to either kill on individual or break apart a team. She saw Naruto get it hit point-blank which in all likelihood, should have killed him. Even the distant he flew as well as the height they were at above the forest floor were guaranteed to cause significant if not fatal injuries when he landed.

Sakura had pretty much figured Naruto dead even though she didn't admit it to herself right away. For all his hyperactiveness and clownish behavior, Sakura never once wished anything that even resembled harm to Naruto. And yet, he proved to her how far he was willing to go to make sure no harm happened to anyone he knew.

That was the only thought Sakura about Naruto before everything gotten even stranger if not worse. The sudden blinding light that appeared where Naruto was thrown to, the overwhelming pulse that Sakura swore she could feel resonate right down to her soul. Whatever it was, when the light faded, Sakura could not believe that Naruto had somehow appeared in front of her. She only had a moment to react but it was clear that he was unconscious when his body simply fell into a slump. The Kunoichi instantly assumed that the Grass-Nin had taken on Naruto's appearance for some other twisted game he wanted to play with them.

Sakura tested to see if it was a trick but was greatly relieved that it wasn't an illusion. Wherever the Grass-Nin went to after the blinding light, Sakura could only hope that he wouldn't return anytime soon. Her teammate was indeed worse for wear, his clothes were barely hanging together as well as what remained had heavy stains of blood on them.

It took all of her strength to carry both Sasuke and Naruto to a defensible position that was also hidden from normal view. After laying some traps around the perimeter, Sakura took the time to examine her teammates and what she found, or rather didn't find in this instance, on Naruto confused her.

For all the stains of blood on his tattered clothes, there wasn't any wounds that Sakura could see. While that alone would puzzle anyone, what Sakura noticed next defied almost all reason. Naruto had lost his right eye, there was never any reason to doubt that fact. And yet when Sakura looked at his face, the only thing she could see that would even suggest a wound was a very faint scar on his right eyelid. So faint that you couldn't see it unless you looked closely at it. To answer her next immediate question about Naruto, Sakura opened his right eyelid and saw that his right eye was there, like nothing had ever happened to it.

Sakura knew that the Grass-Nin had taken Naruto's right eye with his sword but the proof of something happening to Naruto's right eye only suggested a slight scratch at best, not a slash from a sword.

All in all, Sakura felt all of this was too much for her to handle at the moment. Sasuke's and Naruto's survival depending on the skills Sakura had and right now, she had to admit to herself that they weren't much compared to what Naruto and Sasuke could do. Sakura had to admit to herself that she was hoping for a miracle to happen.

Unfortunately, what was about to happen next for Team 7 wouldn't even come close to being called a miracle.

Because of her lack of training and experience in keeping her mind focused on the present situation, Sakura was completely unaware that a Sound team had been watching her for at least an hour.

Dosu, Zaku and Kin had been watching the location where Team 7 had hidden itself for some time. Their orders were simple: observe the target and kill him should he regain consciousness. Their leader Orochimaru had told them their target was not to be underestimated and that they were to show no mercy when they engaged him. Usually when they were given that kind of order, it meant their target was to be killed and as painfully as they possible could make it.

However, something wasn't right about the situation, that much Dosu could discern and voice to his comrades.

"Does it matter?" Zaku asked while slowly growing impatient from all the waiting and watching.

"I agree. It's still only a clueless Kunoichi that guards them. Neither one is showing signs of waking up any time soon." Kin kept her eyes on the target team.

"We were told that she would only be guarding our target. Even if that other kid is asleep, that doesn't mean we should assume he's not a threat. Only the dead are no threat to the living." Dosu replied while keeping his lone eye on Sasuke.

"Who do you think he is? I mean, someone who wears orange cannot possibly be a shinobi even from a village that is backwards as this one." Zaku wasn't the kind of person to rely on tactics. His strategies always involved simply overpowering the opposition, no matter what.

"Don't know. Lord Orochimaru only said that their third member was at best a fool playing at being a shinobi and that he would be no threat even if he was still alive."

Kin was a bit puzzled by that. "Lord Orochimaru sent someone else after this team earlier?"

"Didn't say. If he did, probably Kabuto and his team. Anyways, I'm just as tired of waiting around like the rest of you. What say we have a little fun before carrying out our orders?" Dosu said while adjusting the gauntlet on his arm, making sure it was still properly functioning.

"Time to prove that old saying about sleeping shinobi."

"If a shinobi doesn't sleep with one eye open, he'll never see what permanently closed both of his eyes." Zaku replied, remembering one of the few things he had learned in being a shinobi for the Sound Village.

Zaku decided to use a simple trick against the pink-haired kunoichi, something he figured the girl wouldn't suspect. Once Kin got hold of a forest squirrel and put a paper bomb on it, it was sent right at the girl. However, the squirrel only made it halfway before the kunoichi threw a kunai at it which made the squirrel run off in a different direction.

At first, they suspected that maybe the girl did notice the paper bomb on the forest critter but Dosu still figured that wasn't the case. A closer look of the forest floor and Dosu noticed some slight discrepancies, like fresh dirt and slight gathering of leaves. All evidence which suggested that the girl at least had the foresight to places traps around the area. And if they were Genin-level traps then it would be no problem in avoiding them.

All in all, it just seemed too easy of a mission for them and if that was the case, Dosu saw no reason why they couldn't have fun with their prey before fulfilling their mission.

As the events in the world continued, other events were playing out that would have just as much repercussions in the world by the time the sun would set below the horizon.

In an unfamiliar location, the number one unpredictable hyperactive knucklehead from Konoha began to awaken. It took several moments for Naruto's memory to focus from the haze he woke up to. Naruto remembered the last thing he felt before he passed out was himself laying on a rough surface. The injuries he had sustained had messed up his ability of recollection and so all he knew for sure at the moment was that he was in a dark cavern of some sort.

So when he felt his eyelids open up, Naruto was more than confused when he saw that he was laying face down in snow. Sitting upright, Naruto looked around and saw that he wasn't just in some piles of snow but was in what he figured was some snowy mountain range. The teenager knew he wasn't the smartest Genin to come out of the academy of Konoha but he also knew that there was no way he could have ended up in the mountains since the nearest ones that did have any snow on them were several days journey at least from the village.

That fact was certainly undeniable and even on the extreme off chance that it wasn't, he knew he certainly wouldn't be fully healed and in undamaged clothes as well. Naruto noticed these facts when he brushed off the snow off of him while standing up. Another thing he immediately noticed was the fact that the eye that got slashed was still there.

Everything he knew at the moment confused Naruto so much that his mind couldn't really formulate another thought let alone a possible answer to what was going on. At the moment, Naruto wished he was facing the questions from the written test he had taken earlier in the Chunin Exam. Even if he didn't know the answers, Naruto knew that there were in fact answers to those kinds of questions while the ones he was facing right now seemed to have no answers.

"Alright. What the Hell is going on here?!" Naruto yelled out in hopes that maybe an answer, any kind of answer, would come to him.

"I was just thinking the same thing."

Naruto heard that amidst the winter winds and when he turned around to see who spoke, what he saw actually made him fall backwards. Right in front of him was something Naruto had only heard about but never seen. In fact, Naruto knew that no one had seen this thing for the past 13 years.

The Kyuubi no Yoko.

Naruto remembered thinking for just a brief moment that he might have been dreaming, the weirdest dream ever in his life in fact but obviously something was way wrong if the Nine Tailed Fox was right in front of him. Naruto remembered being told that the demon was sealed inside of him and even though he only learned of this recently, there was never a time before now that Naruto has been practically face to fur-face with the demon.

When the Kyuubi lowered his giant head so that it's eye was practically right in front of Naruto, the teenager knew now that wherever they both were or whatever this was, it was definitely not a dream.

The Kyuubi looked thoroughly at Naruto before backing away a bit.

"Before now, I had wondered what kind of speck of worthless meat that the Yondaime had sealed me into. I find myself not surprised in the least at what I see before me." The demon looked around before returning his attention back to Naruto. "I do not know of this world but I know this isn't where I was caged. Where have you taken the both of us?"

Naruto found his tongue and his courage again when the demon called him a speck of meat but he didn't reply right away since he figured that maybe the demon had the answers to what was going on.

"What makes you think I know anything about where we are? I mean, one minute I'm probably in the worst shape I've ever been in since I just lost an eye and the next minute, I'm knee deep in snow somewhere in these mountains and my eye if fine."

The demon knew that his jailer was telling the truth since it could see his memories and experiences but that was only up until that flash of white light and then finding itself laying in the snow. Something had happened but it certainly was something the demon had never experienced before and that alone said much since it had been around long before any of the Hidden Villages were even thought of being formed.

Looking at Naruto again, the demon noticed something about his right eye. It was blue but the shade of blue was very subtly different. Not only that but the Kyuubi could sense some power behind that one eye. It was nothing like the Sharingan that Madara Uchiha had and his was powerful. There was something more, much more to this eye and if the demon had to make a guess about it, the eye wasn't from this world. And if that was true, the demon figured it was the reason why they were where they were at the moment.

For now, the Tailed Beast was going to keep whatever suspicions it had to itself.

While the demon came up with possible ideas as to what was happening, Naruto looked around again to see if there was something he recognized, something that might tell him where they might be. The only thing he noticed that seemed out of the ordinary, considering the circumstances, was several ravens sitting on some tree branches. What made them stand out was that it wasn't common to see such birds in snowy mountain areas and even if they were the exception, Naruto couldn't help but feel as those these ravens were watching him and the demon.

The demon noticed what Naruto was looking at and when it looked at the ravens, it knew right away some of it's suspicions were confirmed.

"Those are not normal birds. In fact, I do not believe those birds are even from our world." The towering fox said to the blonde teenager.

"The demon speaks but does it understand?" One of the raven said.

"It understands but only what it wants to in it's own world. The boy understands more than the demon does of the real world but rarely speaks of his understanding." A different raven said.

"Truly, these two are as opposites as day and night are." a third raven said.

While the Kyuubi understood the insult barbs the ravens had said, Naruto simply looked at them with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He had seen a turtle talk earlier and figured it was either a trick or the animal was some sort of exception to the 'animals don't talk' rule. But in the end, Naruto believed it was some sort of trick considering everything else at the moment.

"Since when do birds talk?"

Only the demon couldn't believe at what it had heard. That statement alone made it wonder how his jailer had lived this long practically on his own. The ravens themselves didn't show any kind of reaction to what Naruto had said except for the three of them to fly and hover right in front of Naruto.

"Is he ready for what is going to be asked of him?"

Naruto was somewhat confused before but hearing that made him even more confused. But he didn't get to voice his confusion for another raven spoke in turn.

"Nothing is being asked of him. He asked for this and now he must become what he asked to be so he can do what he wants to do. To do what WILL be asked of him in the future."

"So this is the moment when the boy learns the saying, 'be careful of what you wish for,' the third raven said before the others seemed to nodded in agreement to it's statement.

"What has he wished for?" the Kyuubi asked, mostly since it clearly did not like where this was going.

The three ravens flew up so they were at least eye-level of the demonic fox.

"To be a protector for his world and for the Nine Realms and now it will be known if he has it in him to be such." One raven replied.

"Especially one who has now become an heir to a king's legacy." another raven added.

"How is it even remotely possible since the only thing this 'boy' has inherited is the luck of the fool?"

The three crows flew up towards as to be eye level with the Kyuubi before they replied. "What is a fool but someone who does what no one else is willing to do?"

The second crow also spoke. "What is the true origin of the saying 'no one can do that'?"

The third crow added the last undeniable idea of truth. "And what does the warrior, the hero, the king fight? Those that are in front of him that he hates? Or those that are behind him that he loves?"

The Kyuubi knew it had never encountered these kinds of ravens nor did these ravens even exist in their world. Before now, the demon had a suspicion that maybe both itself and the boy were on another plane of existence but it was brushed aside since it sounded border-line ridiculous.

It now began to suspect that not only was there was something more to these three, they were definitely in some manner connected to Naruto's new eye. The boy had said earlier that he had lost his eye and if he had a new eye, it was probably what the ravens meant when they said he had inherited a legacy.

But whose legacy and what was it were what the demon wanted to know. The Kyuubi was well aware of various legacies and most of them rooted in or bathed in blood from either within their own clan or that of innocents. If it's jailer had inherited something remotely close to any of those legacies, it certainly didn't bode well for the demon.

As best as the Kyuubi has schooled it's face to look indifferent, all three crows easily saw through such facades.

"Again the demon shows it understands little. Will that change after this moment?"

The other two ravens didn't say anything but nodded in agreement to what was silently said.

Naruto, who had watched and hear everything that was said to the demon by the crows was understandably confused. But his confusion was quickly replaced by surprise when the three ravens flew at him.

Or rather, they all flew right into Naruto's right eye.

The pain Naruto felt at what these ravens did, which itself was something even he couldn't grasp in his mind, was beyond anything he had ever felt in his life. From his right eye to what believed was the very core of his own soul, Naruto felt like someone was pouring molten lava into him. It even felt like the lava was being forced into him.

Because of all this, Naruto Uzumaki let out scream that even the Kyuubi couldn't ignore. But it wasn't the scream itself that couldn't be ignored. It was when it transformed into a primal roar that actually sent a wave of fear into the Nine Tailed Fox. It wasn't because it had never heard Naruto make this kind of sound before. But because the demon knew no mortal could ever scream like this.

Only one thing could roar like that, something that was far more than any mortal could ever be.

As Naruto continued to roar out, his right eye began to emit a white light that quickly grew in intensity to the point where it began to blind the Kyuubi no Yoko. However, despite being blinded by this light, the demon could easily see that light had traces of divinity in it and that easily reinforced what it feared when Naruto screamed.

Inside the mind and body of Naruto Uzumaki, a transformation began but was much more subtle than the one that was taking place with Sasuke Uchiha out in the real world.

When the Sound team that was sent by Orochimaru attacked, Sakura did her best to keep them at bay for the sake of her fallen comrades. She did her best but being outnumbered by opponents she knew nothing about worked against her too quickly. However, Sakura was supremely grateful when Rock Lee appeared out of nowhere and gave the kunoichi some desperately needed back-up. Seeing the green-clad Genin in action brought much relief to Sakura but it quickly turned back into dread when the one with a weird metal gauntlet quickly took the fight out of Rock Lee.

Sakura didn't know what had happened but she could clearly tell that Lee was out of action and probably couldn't even defend himself properly either. But good fortune favored her again when Ino, Shikamaru and Chouji appeared and took a defensive position between her and the Sound Team.

With a standoff happening between the two teams, Sakura was able to quietly get the attention of Ino. She knew her blonde rival's abilities and thought of an idea that could at least get Naruto up and about. However, Ino reminded Sakura that by using her clan's jutsu on Naruto, it would leave her defenseless and the way the Sound Team was carrying themselves, it was clear they would attack her body the second they saw it go limp.

Even though the numbers were on the side of the Leaf Genin, the Sound Team made up for it with their ruthlessness. Sakura didn't know what could happen next nor could she think of anything that might help them all get out of this mess. It was then another thing happened that, in retrospect, was far from even being considered a remotely good thing.

Sasuke Uchiha awoke from the slumber that the Grass shinobi had put him in. As he stood up, Sakura and everyone else there saw him seemed to be wrapped in black flames. Another thing that was noticeable about him was the black markings that seemed to be spiraling away from where the mark on his neck was.

While everyone else was more or less stunned at the sight, Sakura couldn't help but feel a growing sense of dread at what she was seeing. Power was definitely radiating off of Sasuke, almost like a wildfire but Sakura felt as though this fire was burning him as well as anyone near him.

Sasuke on the other hand had this look on his face. A look that was hard to discern because of the black marks covering half his face. But Sakura was able to see it for a brief moment: a look of ecstasy. Like what was happening to Sasuke right now was something he had been wanting for all his life.

"Well, looks like the Uchiha finally had enough beauty sleep. Maybe now we might work up a sweat." Zaku said.

Dosu and Kin did share some of Zaku's confidence but Dosu was a little more weary of the situation than his teammates. He had seen the power that had just recently flared itself around the Uchiha once before. He even heard how there was a 1 in 10 chance in terms of survival rate in being given this 'power'.

Their leader Orochimaru had given them orders to kill the last Uchiha but now it seems they weren't told everything. Dosu wasn't entirely sure in the beginning but it seemed now to him that his lord Orochimaru had a bigger plan for the Uchiha. The part he was made aware of was sending Dosu and his team against Sasuke and see what happens as a result of an earlier part enacted by Orochimaru.

If that was the case then, Dosu figured Orochimaru expects Sasuke to live through this. To him, it wouldn't be his team's fault if Sasuke was killed since they were ordered to kill him.

"Let's not try to mess up that pretty face of his too much. I want to have some fun with him before we kill him." Kin said while twirling a kunai in her hand.

The only response Sasuke made from all of this was a laughter that started small and grew to a level that actually sent a shiver down Sakura's spine. It was crazed-sounding but Sakura could tell it was more than that.

"Finally, I have what I wanted. The power I've always wanted." Sasuke looked at his hands, as if he could see the power coursing through his veins. After a moment of enjoying the feel of the power inside of him, Sasuke turned towards the Sound Genins, actually paying attention to them for the first time. "Lets see how long you three can last against it."

No sooner did Sasuke speak those words did he move to strike all three of the Sound Genin. Zaku was knocked clear off his feet and flew several yards backwards from a roundhouse kick to the face. Kin got hit right in the middle of her back with a kick that actually came close to breaking her spine. Dosu was the last but he was able to put up some sort of defense against Sasuke's attack in time. His gauntlet absorbed most of the impact but Dosu saw the dent in it made by Sasuke's punch. No cheap metal was used in the gauntlet's construction but the force required to put a dent in it was no mere feat in itself.

Clearly, it wasn't going to be easy to kill the Uchiha but in Dosu's view, it would make the victory that much sweeter when they do kill him.

Dosu tried to use his technique to disable the Uchiha as he did with the other Leaf Genin but didn't get a chance to when Sasuke grabbed his arm in mid-flight and used the momentum of the thrown fist to actually cause Dosu to flip over. Sasuke followed up with this action by delivering a kick straight to Dosu's mid-section. There was enough force behind this kick to send the Sound Genin a couple of yards across the ground away from Sasuke.

Dosu was trained enough to stop himself from losing all the air in his lungs but he definitely didn't expect that much power behind Sasuke's kick. His ribs didn't feel like they were broken but he certainly had trouble getting air back into this lungs.

"Damn it! You think it's going to be that easy huh? Well, get ready for this!" Zaku said while bring his arms to bear in order to fire off his wind cannons at Sasuke.

"That's last part are my words." Sasuke replied with a smirk that Zaku was unwilling to admit sent a chill down his spine.

Zaku knew he had to make his shot count when he fired. However, Sasuke wasn't going to give him the chance to do anything other than be test subjects for this new abilities.

Zaku didn't even get the chance to register his surprise before Sasuke appeared to the right of him and grabbing his right arm in a vice grip. Zaku tried to bring his other arm around to use his wind cannon on Sasuke at point blank range. For Sasuke, it was so predictable that he didn't even break stride in bringing both of Zaku's arms behind his back and then planting his foot right on Zaku's spine.

With the amount of pressure Sasuke was putting on his back and arms, Zaku felt like the last Uchiha was trying to break off his arms.

"I can tell you're quite fond of these arms of yours. I can also tell you're nothing without them. Lets see if you can prove me wrong." The look on Sasuke's face was of joy tainted with malice.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was seeing. She knew that Sasuke could be cold at times but this wasn't one of those times. Right now, Sasuke was taking in delight causing pain to the Sound Genin. Sakura could even see the pain Sasuke was causing in the Sound Genin's eyes. It became clear how much pain was being caused when a very audible 'crack' was heard and Zaku let out a yell of pain. Sasuke let go but immediately did a spin kick which connected with Zaku's throat. Zaku was on the ground with his arms somewhat mangled and coughing up a decent amount of blood.

For Sasuke, what he did felt like he had just snapped a twig and stepped on a bug. The power he was feeling was more than he could ever hope to have. He knew that before now, without this new power, he would've have actually put more effort into doing what he did. It was clear to him now this power was more than enough to defeat his brother, to avenge his clan.

But before doing his duty for his clan, the last Uchiha of Konoha wanted to have some more fun first.

Dosu wasn't a stranger when it came to facing an opponent that gave off the proverbial bad vibe, which was the reason why half his face was bandaged up. He learned the hard way how to fight against hard odds.

But he also knew Kin wasn't all that experienced either. He could tell from the side of his view that she was showing signs of fear regardless of her current facial expression. With Zaku down, it wasn't going to be easy but Dosu could still take out the Uchiha when the proper opening presented itself.

Sasuke took slow steps towards the other two Sound Genin, taking in pleasure of the fear that he knew was slowly growing inside at least one of them. He figured that fear was also gripping the other one, just harder to see because of his face being wrapped up. While he closed the gap between them, and hoping one of them would make a move first, Sasuke idly wondered what jutsu he could use and how much more powerful it would be now.

Suddenly, everything came to a halt when what felt like a crack of thunder occur right next to all of them. Everyone, including Sasuke, turned their attention in the direction towards the tree behind them. All they could see was an intense white light coming the tree, particularly from the area of the tree where Sakura had put Sasuke and Naruto. It was only Sakura that felt more panic at the sight since the realization that Naruto was possibly inside the light hit her like boulder falling off a mountain.

While everyone was curious as to what was happening, Sakura managed to bring herself to the present and came up with an idea to see if Naruto was alright. She quickly looked around to find the person to help her.

"Ino!" Sakura called out to her rival and luckily got her attention. "Use your Shintenshin no Jutsu! Find Naruto!" It was a long shot but it could also help wake up Naruto faster once she got into his mind and at this moment, long shots were all she could think of at the moment.

Ino heard what Sakura wanted her to do. It was clear what the idea was but Ino didn't know what would happen in this case. Her family's jutsu had it's limits, depending on both the skills and the experience of the user. She was no where near the level her father was at with this jutsu and the best example of that was he no longer needed to make hand seals to use it. But as something her sensei had told her when he recounted how he was cornered once and he had only one shot to get out of it alive.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures.", and this situation was about as desperate as it could get in Ino's opinion.

Ino quickly did the hand seals for the jutsu and aimed it directly at the center of the light. Sakura maybe have told Ino that Naruto was inside the light but all Ino could do was hope he was at the center of it.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu!" Ino called out. For a brief moment, she felt everything she expected to feel when she used the jutsu: her mind leaving her body which felt like a summer's breeze passing by.

But everything felt different when her mind passed into the light. Ino had never felt anything like what she was feeling now, like the light was actually wrapping around her. That was the only sensation that felt familiar to her for everything else that followed was entirely new. Never before she felt herself falling after entering into someone's mind and from what her father told her, no one in her clan ever has. For what felt like an eternity to her, Ino landed hard on what she figured was the mind equivalent of the ground. It took her a moment to get on her feet and get her get a clear view of her surroundings which turns out was something of a sewer area.

"Ugh, I should have known this is what his mind would be like."

It was a brief moment that Ino actually found it a bit humorous that Naruto's mind was 'in the gutter' but that moment ended as quickly as it came. Looking down the corridor, Ino saw a small white light.

Somehow, Ino couldn't get rid of the feeling she was staring down a railroad tunnel with an oncoming train barreling right at her. Going on instincts, Ino turned around and began sprinting away from the light but she didn't get far. Just like behind her, the corridor in front of her had another white light come out of nowhere and was heading right at her.

With nowhere to run, Ino tried to undo the jutsu but found out that she couldn't. Something was holding her in place and the only thing she could do was brace herself for the inevitable collision. Ino had one final thought before being hit, that she wished she was stronger for her belief at the moment if she was then she wouldn't have gotten herself into this mess.

Strangely enough, her wish was heard despite the fact of where she was. But there was a price to pay for her wish.

A couple of seconds after she used her jutsu, everyone watched as what seemed like a bolt of lightning flying out and hitting Ino hard. Her body was in a sitting position when she used the Mind-Body Change Technique so when the lightning bolt hit her, it actually knocked her across the ground by a good several yards. Shikamaru and Chouji were immediately at her side, assessing whatever damage Ino might have endured by the strike. Ino was out cold but her teammates didn't see anything else wrong with her which did get a sigh of relief from Chouji and a mumble of how troublesome girls can be from Shikamaru..

"Okay, what exactly is going on?" Chouji asked Shikamaru and actually hoping his lazy friend had an answer.

"Whatever it is, we are in way over our heads." Shikamaru said while committing that was happening in front of him to memory so that he could later report. That was if they got out of this alive is what he also felt.

"Couldn't agree with you more on that."

Both Shikamaru and Chouji turned to see fellow Leaf Genin Neji Hyuuga and Tenten appearing next to them.

"I knew Rock Lee might get into some trouble in this part of the exam. Didn't think or even expect something remotely like this happening." Neji said to Shikamaru and Chouji before they could ask their questions.

"What exactly is happening?" Tenten asked since despite racking her mind over and over, she couldn't come up with something to give her an idea on what was happening.

Several moments after Neji and Tenten's arrival, the light faded and standing casually was Naruto Uzumaki, like he had just woken up from a nap. His eyes were closed at first and when he opened them, everyone that was close enough to tell could see that Naruto's right eye was subtly brighter than the other. This fact had the most relevance to Sakura than it did anyone else there at the moment. Because of the bright light earlier, Sakura's eyes had to readjust and when they did, when Sakura got a real good look at Naruto at the moment, she actually doubted her eyes for the moment.

Despite his clothes being badly torn and dirty, Sakura could see enough of Naruto's body to wonder if it was some sort of Genjutsu. Naruto may not be a slacker most of the time but Sakura was positive that he didn't do physical training that was required in order to have muscles he was showing now underneath his tattered clothes. It was also possible that Naruto had actually grown by several inches in height. Most of his baby fat was gone from his face which actually gave him a more mature look but overall if it wasn't for the whisker marks on his cheeks, Sakura could have actually sworn this was someone new.

And judging by the presence he was giving off, this was definitely a new Naruto in Sakura's opinion.

Sasuke would agree with that statement if he had heard it outloud and it was that fact alone that actually started to anger him. When Sasuke first felt his newfound power, the strength of everyone around him paled in comparison. As the Uchiha Clan's main element was fire, Sasuke was the roaring bonfire surrounded by matchsticks until a moment ago.

Looking at his teammate, Sasuke could feel the strength radiating off of Naruto like a storm. A storm greater than the fire Sasuke had at his command and that felt like a supreme insult. If there was one element in the world that was peerless, it was fire and Sasuke was it's wielder.

It was as good a time as any to remind the Dead Last of the Konoha Academy why he was such compared to the Rookie of the Year.

Sasuke did a quick spin kick to knock Zaku away and towards the other Sound Genin. A 'gesture' that said outloud that he didn't consider them anything more than a nuisance. Sakura saw this along with the others but only Sakura was worried by her teammate's actions. She could only watch as Sasuke charged at Naruto with the obvious intent to attack him.

Naruto locked eyes with Sasuke as he charged but did nothing in terms of preparing or even defending himself. The blonde took the punch the raven haired teenager threw at him right in the face. Everyone watching couldn't tell if Sasuke put all of his strength into that punch but they knew it was a hard punch just by the sound that was made by the fist connecting. Naruto's head did turn as a result of the punch but he still stood his ground. Sasuke's reaction wasn't readable on the outside but inside, his anger grew more by this.

Sasuke threw another punch but Naruto caught it easily and held Sasuke's wrist in a vice grip.

"You so readily attack one that is your comrade. Your honor is severely lacking, warrior." Naruto said but strangely enough, despite the fact everyone heard and saw him speak, it actually didn't truly sound like Naruto.

Even Sasuke was surprised in hearing that but that didn't last when Naruto, still holding Sasuke's arm by the wrist, flipped the Uchiha by a quick twist which in turn sent him flying into a nearby tree. Sasuke quickly recovered before hitting the tree and landed in a crouched position. He stared hard at Naruto, who in turn equally stared at Sasuke. Sasuke felt the pain in his wrist, the ache reminding him that if Naruto had increased his strength just little more, he might have broken it. Sasuke remembered the look on Naruto's face when he held his wrist. It was like he had to restrain himself from snapping a twig in his hand.

This angered Sasuke more and it was made clear to everyone who was watching by the murderous eyes Sasuke had. Before any of the bystanders to object to this fight, Sasuke flew right back at Naruto but this time Naruto didn't give Sasuke a chance to land any attacks. Naruto almost moved too fast to be seen but it definitely surprised Sasuke at the sudden speed. Just enough to not see the punch that Naruto threw right into Sasuke's stomach. The air instantly left Sasuke's lungs but it was only because of his will and the power of the Cursed Seal on his neck that kept him from blacking out.

"This fight is meaningless. Stand down or I will make you." Naruto said to the kneeling Uchiha. Again, everyone saw and heard Naruto speak but it certainly didn't sound like him.

Sasuke didn't care about that fact as much as the others did. The only thing that registered in his mind was the fact Naruto had practically ordered him to surrender. No mater what it took, Sasuke vowed he was going to kill Naruto here and now for the insults he kept hitting him with. Insults against his own honor as well as his clan and as such, unforgivable.

In a blur, Sasuke did the hand seals in order to create the strongest Fireball Jutsu he could make and shot it pointblank at Naruto. The others couldn't believe what Sasuke had just did, including the Sound Genin but all of them immediately moved away when they noticed the jutsu Sasuke used was quickly enveloping in the immediate area in intense fire. A second later, the fireball Sasuke created violently exploded which created a sizable crater where Naruto was just standing.

"Guess that answers that." Sasuke said outloud to himself. Only he knew what his words meant since what he saw was in fact proof that the power he now possessed did increase his jutsus more than he expected. It also proved to anyone else there why he was considered the best of the best of the new Leaf Genin.

The smoke and debris made it hard for anyone to see except for Neji Hyuuga and his Byakugan. Like the other Leaf Genin, he didn't expect Sasuke to do what he had just did. Nor did any of them expect to see Naruto's condition be as such.

Neji had watched it all from basically start to finish and he couldn't help by feel that he hadn't even seen the tip of it. Even with his Byakugan activated and focusing on where Naruto and Sasuke were at, Neji was at a loss at what he was seeing.

In both the chakra networks of Naruto and Sasuke, there was something in each of them that was completely different from the other. It was hard to make out but for Sasuke, the source of his new strength came from the marks on his neck. Why it was so hard to make out was because it was black and it was surrounding Sasuke's own chakra.

For Naruto, Neji actually wondered if something flew into his eyes to mess with his vision since that seemed to be the only logical explanation.

There was no possible way that Naruto's strength was coming two distinct places: in his abdomen and in his right eye. Not only that, but each source were literally two different colors and from what he knew, separate different colored chakra inside a person was unheard of. Whatever was going on, the only thing Neji and the others could do was watch how it ended.

"What do you see, Neji?" Shikamaru asked since like the others, his vision was obscured by the smoke from the result of the jutsu hitting Naruto.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you." Neji was never to make such a comment before but his tone told Shikamaru all he needed to know as well.

Even before the smoke had fully cleared, it was clear that Naruto was still standing as if nothing had happened to him. Well, nothing personally but his tattered clothes were in worse shape now.

Sasuke felt another hit to his pride when it seemed Naruto wasn't even phased. Both of them did a stare down contest before Naruto spoke up.

"Where is your honor? Or do you believe that those below you are insects?"

Sasuke gave Naruto a smirk before replying. "You've always been below me. Time to remind you of that fact."

The Leaf Genin and the Sound Genin watched as Sasuke went through a different set of hand seals before creating a bigger fireball that he launched at Naruto. Again, there was an explosion that happened as a result but Neji caught something before having to shield himself from the blast. Just before the explosion happened, Neji saw what looked like Naruto actually making a fist and punching the fireball when it got close enough.

Because of Naruto's action, the fireball exploded early cause not only for Naruto to still be hit by it but for Sasuke as well.

When the smoke finally cleared after that, everyone in the immediate vicinity saw that Naruto and Sasuke were both on the ground and obviously unconscious. The sounds of both of them groaning in pain was clear indication that they were still breathing. The only one who actually let out a sigh of relief was Sakura who didn't realize how long she had been holding her breath.

Everyone could see that Sasuke's clothing was definitely charred but relatively together. This also helped them to see that the black marks that were present before on Sasuke were gone but the the mark was still on his neck.

The only thing left of Naruto's clothing was basically the lower part of his orange jumpsuit and even one of the legs was missing most of it's material. Aside from Sakura, everyone who witnessed the explosion were currently wondering how it was possible that both of them weren't dead. Sakura herself had only one thought on her mind and it was her hoping that it was over.

For several moments, that particular part of the Forest of Death was eerily quiet. The silence was broken when Naruto started to stir, mumbling about having the worst headache ever while struggling to sit up right. Even Sasuke started to stir by simply rolling over so he wasn't laying face down on the ground. Sakura wasted no time in getting back to her teammates, hoping that both were okay especially Sasuke. She immediately checked Sasuke first, being relieved that there wasn't any serious injuries and the black marks were all gone save for the mark of the Cursed Seal itself.

"Ohh… what in the world hit me?" Naruto mumbled to himself as he tried to stand. His balance was shaky at the moment so he had to brace himself while he stood.

Sakura was glad that Naruto was alright but she was still worried about Sasuke since he didn't show any signs of waking up at the moment. Eventually the other Konoha Genin teams gathered with Shikamaru and Chouji carrying their teammate Ino. With everything that transpired, it was Shikamaru that broke the unsettling silence at the moment.

"Alright, now that that troublesome part is over, the next one is what do we do now?"

Sakura looked around at the others and could see in each of their eyes that, despite what they wanted to do, they knew what they had to do. The Chunin Exams was still going on and as such, each team was given an objective to complete and unfortunately, helping another team even if that team was from the same village wasn't officially allowed.

Also, the current standing was that each Konoha Genin team had at least one teammate out of commission. Rock Lee was still suffering from whatever Dosu did to him with his gauntlet. A closer look at Ino showed that her ears had some blood coming out of it as well as her nose. Luckily, whatever caused the bleeding stopped but Shikamaru and Chouji were still worried about their teammate.

Before anyone could voice a possible idea, Naruto asked flat out what had happened recently after he managed to look around and see the state of things.

"Huh? You mean you don't remember?" Shikamaru didn't expect that kind of question, even from Naruto.

The rather dumbfounded expression on Naruto's response clearly told everyone there that Naruto didn't remember anything he had done. This notion was reinforced more when Naruto looked down and then started to notice how different his body was since the last time he looked at it. Of course his reaction was understandable but that didn't mean the current situation allowed time for him to freak out.

"What the Hell?! What happened to me?! What happened to my clothes?!" Naruto's head swirled around to so much that everyone there thought his head was going to fly right off his neck.

Sakura, who had more than enough of the stresses from everything recently, got right up to Naruto and slapped him with all the strength she could muster at the moment. This one action surprised everyone since Sakura's strike was strong enough to create a crater where Naruto landed. A couple of moments later, once Naruto was able to pull himself out of the crater and pull himself together, he looked around to see he wasn't the only one that was worse for wear.

Shikamaru let out a sigh and a mumble of 'troublesome' before glancing around and finding something laying under some nearby charred bushes. Narrowing his focus, Shikamaru was surprised to see that not only was it a scroll but the one that they needed to complete this part of the exam. With what had happened, Shikamaru figured that the Sound Genin that Sasuke whose arms he probably broke and kicked away must have had the scroll and it flew out unnoticed by the other two.

It was probably after the second explosion that the Sound Genin team had clearly taken off and were long gone by now. They would eventually realize they lost their scroll but he doubt any of them would return to this area any time soon.

The Shadow User knew he could make a run for it to get it but he would definitely get the attention of the others by his sudden movements. It was clear some of the others were quicker than he was. Shikamaru did a passive gaze and his suspicion that Neji might have seen the scroll was confirmed when he noticed his white eyes were aimed in the general direction of the scroll which any shinobi would know he was looking at the object but not actually looking at it.

However, before either of them could do anything to get the scroll, they both watched as Naruto noticed the scroll as well and walked over to where it was on the ground and picked it up. What everyone there didn't realize at the moment was that Naruto was starting to remember some what happened. His mind didn't register such thoughts until he saw Ino being carried by her teammates.

Though this was a test to weed out from all the Genin teams those that had the potential to be Chunin from those that did not, Naruto knew that no promotion was worth the lives of a fellow Genin. Especially if what he felt was true, that she and her team came to help out his team.

"Here, as much as I wish I could give each team a scroll for helping out our team, Ino is the one who needs immediate treatment." Naruto said while handing the scroll over to Shikamaru. "Besides, we need the other scroll. Now go, get to the tower and watch out for ambushes."

Shikamaru was a bit puzzled that Naruto would say something like, something that was tactically insightful. He already deduced that if the objective was to get the other scroll, one smart move was to have an ambush waiting near the tower so those that have the two scrolls would be relatively easy pickings. Shikamaru knew that even though they have two scrolls, they also had an injured teammate and that made getting into the tower even harder but still doable.

"Thanks Naruto. I was wondering how you were going to repay the favor for getting you out of a troublesome situation." Shikamaru said while putting the scroll in his pouch.

"Don't try to hide the fact thou are an honorable warrior. I can tell thee would have helped us out even if there wasn't the chance of some kind of reward to come out of it."

Now that was something Shikamaru would never have expected Naruto to say. It definitely hinted at that this Naruto was more insightful than before as well as a few different choice of words. Add to the fact that one of Naruto's eyes was a subtly different shade of blue than the other one as well as what happened prior to Sasuke firing a fireball jutsu point-blank at Naruto, it was more than enough for Shikamaru to conclude something had changed in Naruto.

As much as he wanted to get some answers, Ino was his first priority.

"Whatever you say. See ya all back at the tower." Shikamaru replied before helping Chouji to move Ino towards the tower as quickly as they could.

Once they were out of sight, Neji turned his attention to his injured teammate Rock Lee. "Are you able to move on your own?"

"Yes. Whatever that Sound Genin did to me, it doesn't seem to be affecting me anymore." Rock Lee replied while giving a thumbs-up to his teammate. His usually exuberance was clearly starting to return.

"Good, because we've still need to obtain the scroll so we can pass this stage of the Exams."

"Lets makes sure Neji is back to fighting condition before we go looking for trouble, alright Neji?" Tenten was worried for her teammate even though she knew Rock Lee wasn't the kind of person that stay down long no matter what injuries he might've sustained.

Neji nodded in reply before telling both Sakura and Naruto to take care of themselves and that he hopes to see them at the tower.

When Team 7 was alone, Naruto turned towards his other teammates. He could tell that Sasuke was completely out cold and that he was going to need new clothing soon. Naruto looked at Sakura and could tell she had just undergone a significant amount of stress since her eyes told him she was as tired as one could possibly be before passing out.

That was made more then evident to Naruto when Sakura actually fell forward when she let out a breath she didn't fully realize she had been holding in. Since Sakura hadn't had a chance to take in a real breath of relief before now, her body pretty much used the last of it's strength when it did.

Naruto managed to save Sakura before she hit the ground. She wasn't out cold like Sasuke was but she definitely showed that she didn't have much strength left within her

With Sakura in his arms, Naruto felt like something of a dream was coming true. But the moment didn't last when Naruto noticed how light Sakura was. He knew she watched her weight and all, always saying she was one some kind of a diet but it felt like to Naruto that she was nothing but skin and bones. Possibly even less than that as it felt to him.

But Naruto looked back at his own body and reminded himself that it had undergone some changes just recently. Changes of course that he couldn't explain and would have to wait for Sakura to catch her breath before she could give him any hints

However, if one of the changes allowed him to have increased strength, he wasn't about to question it since right now, two of his teammates were down and the other Leaf Genin teams were already out of earshot by now. Naruto knew he had to think of something to make sure his teammates were safe but that was the question that was stumping him.

Another thing that came to him while he was thinking was playing back the weirdest dream he ever had. Being on top of a snow capped mountain in front of the Nine Tailed Fox and having black birds fly into his eye, Naruto knew verily without a doubt it was a dream. The only question he had about it was why did he have it.

Unfortunately, that bit of decision making introduced Naruto to something he hadn't realized that he was doing. He had realized that he had just said some words he had never heard before and yet it sounded so natural to say. He played back the conversation he had with Shikamaru and realized he said some of those words at that time too.

Now things were definitely not making any sense to Naruto. Well, more so than the usual stuff he ran into ever since he became a Genin.

However, before Naruto to continue his musings, he decided to get Sasuke and Sakura out of sight until they could get back on their own feet. With his new found strength, Naruto easily carried Sakura and Sasuke into the cave that the tree made with it's own roots. Checking the two, Naruto figured Sakura needed a good night sleep but he didn't know what to do about Sasuke since he stopped stirring and was about as still as a corpse.

When he was sure that the both of them were as comfortable as they could be, sleeping on the forest floor essentially, Naruto stepped outside and tried to get a better handle on the situation than he had at the moment.

Naruto knew he wasn't a complete idiot regardless of what almost everyone said about him. But even with everything he knew and had suspicions of at the moment, nothing was adding up to that could make some sort of sense. The sort of sense that made sense to him anyways.

His musings were quickly cut short when he had to dodge a series of flying kunais and shurikens that seemed to come out of nowhere from the trees. Naruto cursed at himself for not realizing that one of the other Genin teams would not have gotten curious as to all the havoc that was caused in this area recently.

How long they had been watching didn't really matter since it was clear they knew enough to see he was the only capable member on the team. The attack, if it had been done correctly, was meant to cutoff all avenues of escape and possibly kill the intended target with one member waiting in a hidden position. Naruto was definitely glad someone on the attacking team didn't have a sense of patience.

When the team appeared, Naruto recognized the block-like symbol they wore on their headbands as they were the same Zabuza wore. They were a Genin team from the Village Hidden in the Mist. Judging by the way they had formed around the one who wore dark sunglasses like Shino wore, he was the leader,

"Gotta say, seeing how tattered your clothes are, or lack of thereof, anyone would say you're running on your last legs. Dodging that attack in your condition is somewhat impressive as well. Tell you what, we'll let you go if you hand over your scroll right now seeing as how the odds are three to one right now." the Mist Genin team leader said. His voice carried some confidence in it but Naruto could tell it was more arrogance if anything.

"You may have a sexy body but that's not going to be enough." the Kunoichi on their team said, her eyes that Naruto could tell were easily undressing him or what he had left of clothing.

"You believe me helpless in this situation? You believe yourself to be warriors when you attack those that cannot fight back. There is a word for villains such as yourself." Naruto said while forming the ram seal with his hands.

"Oh yeah? What's that, meat stick?" the other Mist Genin said, firmly believing this half-naked Genin to be an idiot than an actually shinobi.

"Cowards." Naruto calmly replied before calling on his Shadow Clone Jutsu to create several copies of himself.

Having used the jutsu so many times ever since learning it, Naruto half expected his Shadow Clones to look like what he did at the moment, like they always had before. However, this time when he used the jutsu, he felt a different kind of drain than he usually did. It was hard to describe it but he knew it wasn't the same as before.

He also had to keep his surprise in check when he noticed the Shadow Clones he had created were completely something else. They had his face, his whisker marks but they wore gold-plated armor in a style that Naruto knew he had never seen before in his life and yet could not explain why it was all so familiar to him. There were three of them with each holding a different weapon.

One carried a double-sided axe, another carried a spear and the last had a sword. As much as Naruto wanted to start yelling out what happened with his jutsu, opted for a plan of action.

"Defeat these cowards and show them what it means to be a warrior."

At first the Mist Genin team thought they were illusions until the one wielding the axe slammed it into the ground so hard that it seemed to actually split the Earth itself. Naruto watched as the three Shadow Clones attacked and realized that they were actually trying to kill the three Mist Genin. That didn't bother him as much as the fact he actually felt a part of him not caring whether these three lived or died.

For several minutes, the Mist Genin did their best hold their own against the Shadow Clones. They even managed to hit them a couple of times but they didn't not dispel after being hit. Naruto knew that whenever a Shadow Clone was hit hard enough, like they had been hit, they would have immediately dispelled but not this time. Naruto actually felt each strike as if they had hit him since he felt the kick to his stomach when one of the Mist Genin landed a kick into his attacker. That easily reinforced the idea these were not typical Shadow Clones.

"What the Hell are these things? I thought Shadow Clones dispel after you hit them!" One Mist Genin could be heard yelling out.

"Then they're not Shadow Clones!" the kunoichi of the team replied while dodging several swipes from sword strikes that easily gave off the impression that they might cause serious injuries if they connected.

"Doesn't matter what they are! Take them down!" the leader of the team yelled out while doing his best to counter the one who was using a spear against him.

Naruto watched for a second as the three separate battles continued. "Only on the field of battle does one show if they are warriors or cowards. Only true warriors can rise to the challenge."

As much as Naruto wanted to question the fact that he was speaking but the words didn't 'feel' like they were coming from him directly, he kept his attention on the three fighting to make sure none of them made a line for his downed comrades.

It didn't take long for the three armored warriors to overpowered the Genin. They were readily disarmed before driven back to the point where they couldn't easily escape. Naruto saw that one of them was about to deliver the final strike on one of them. Again, there was a part of him was more than willing to let that one die but this was also the time Naruto stopped listening to that part of him.

Before the axe could render a human being headless, Naruto blocked the axe at the last moment. Strangely, what he used to block it was his forearm and with as much power that was put into the swing, axe could easily chopped a tree down in one swing. The most it did was cut Naruto's arm, nothing serious but enough to bleed.

The warrior looked at Naruto with the obvious question in his gaze. Naruto said nothing but turned his attention to the other Mist Genin.

"You are defeated. As per the rules of this test, leave your scroll here." Naruto's voice easily told the three that this wasn't open up for debate. He didn't really lie when he said that part about the test but Naruto could tell they weren't thinking about anything at the moment except their own survival.

The leader of the team retrieved the scroll from his pouch and threw it to Naruto. Once he had it in his hands, he ordered the warriors to let the three go. They did so and the second they were able to, all three took off into the forest as fast as they could. Once they were gone, Naruto undid the jutsu and dispelled the three armored warriors. When they were gone and he was sure no one was watching, Naruto gripped the scroll in his hand tightly before letting out a roar that easily resonated throughout the forest.

This was no roar of victory or providing proof that Naruto believed himself to be a fierce warrior. This was a roar of shame for Naruto could not understand why now there was a part of him that was so readily able to accept the death of someone else. For he had been taught by his teacher Iruka, for what he had sworn on the gravesite of Zabuza and Haku, for his own code on how to live his life, that part of him that was willing to let those three die spat at everything he held dear.

It was at this moment that Naruto remembered that before he blacked out, he had desperately wanted to protect his friends no matter what it cost him.

Was the price for his newfound strength the cost of his own soul?

Naruto didn't know and right now, he had never been more scared in his life. Learning that he was the jailer of the Nine Tailed Fox was one thing and as hard as it was to absorb at the time, it was nothing to the revelation that Naruto was having now. The part of him that was willing to kill those three Genin was now screaming at him that he had let the enemy escape and that was completely unacceptable.

All of this was telling Naruto that he was becoming something he could tell that he absolutely did not want to be but he had no idea what to do about it.

During the entire time, from when the Sound Genin first attack to now, Kabuto had been watching everything. Though he wasn't ordered to do anything to Team 7, it was his own curiosity that was the reason he sought out this particular team. From everything he had seen, from both Sasuke and Naruto, Kabuto knew a lot of people would be interested in how things had unfolded.

'This is certainly unexpected. Makes me wonder if Lord Orochimaru had some other plan for Naruto. Something separate from Sasuke.' Kabuto thought to himself as he continued to watch Naruto but remained hidden at the same time. 'Could the Kyuubi be influencing Naruto even more now? Somehow making him stronger after the near death experience? Maybe the Kyuubi itself is taking control.'

Kabuto contemplated all possible ideas with the information he had, what could be used to best explain what he was going to tell the Snake Sannin. The only idea that he could come up with that offered the best explanation was looking back at where the World Tree was in the Forest of Death.

'You crashed against the World Tree and we learned it was hollow. Makes sense now why nothing and no one ever went near it before.' Kabuto thought again to himself before looking back at Naruto. 'You found something very interesting inside the tree, didn't you Naruto?'

Kabuto continued to watch as Naruto practically roared all the air out of his lungs before dropping to his knees and hitting the ground hard enough with both arms to cause another crater to form upon impact.

Though the roar Naruto made could be heard in the majority of the Forest of Death, Naruto was unaware it went even farther than that. Sound can travel a near infinite distance with the only drawback being that the sound grows quiet with each meter it passes. But this roar itself actually managed to reached the Realm Eternal. Only Odin himself was barely able to hear it for it was less than a whisper. Though only the All-Father could hear it, it had more meaning to him than if all of Asgard were to yell out at once.

The All-Father was given a hint as to the person who now had his eye. A person who possibly had the purest soul that Odin had ever known. As much of good news it was to learn that, Odin also knew that pure souls were that much more easily corrupted.

Now, more than ever, Odin knew he had to find this person first for the sake of all the Nine Realms. Either to protect the person or destroy him so the power he now wields doesn't fall in the hands of Surtur. As much as he didn't relish the idea of destroying a pure soul, Odin knew he had done similar acts before for the greater good.

And if it meant razing a world to keep the balance of power in check, then so be it.

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Author's Note: Here's the next chapter as well as more, well lets say 'fallout' at the moment, of Naruto finding and having the Eye of Odin become one with him. And if any of you are wondering, I'll answer now that yes, there will be a consequence of sorts for Ino since she was exposed to the power of a Norse god as well. Just have to wait and see of what said consequences will be for Ino Yamanaka.

By the way, for those of you that might not know, Odin was a powerful ruler but he had done more than his fair share of questionable acts in his life even before he took the throne to rule all of Asgard. The best example of it now was Marvel comic arc FEAR ITSELF since Odin had abandoned Earth to an ancient enemy and his plans to defeat that enemy was to burn Earth and all of it's people, both the good and the bad ones. In my book, anyone willing to do that, to abandon the innocent, is by no means a good king even if it's for the greater good.

And since I've decided this to be a harem fic, I will do a side story for future lemon scenes since such scenes would easily give this story an M-Rating if they were added to it. The main story, this story will be T-Rating only. But that doesn't mean I'm not open to suggestions as to who in either the Naruto Universe or the Marvel Universe should be paired up with Naruto. If there's a character you want to see paired up with Naruto, tell me who and why and I'll see what I can do.

As always, please read and review.


	4. Chapter 3: First Trial

Disclaimer: Own nothing of Naruto or Marvel Comics and do not make any profit from this

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Author Note: This chapter and the following chapter will deal with the first rounds of elimination of the Chunin Exams. Some of the fights I'll keep the same while others I will change. The ones that I'll keep the same I won't go into much detail since they play out the same way they were shown in the anime series. Honestly, if I went into detail-mode for all the fights, both chapters would easily be 50 pages long even if I simplified the actions of the fights themselves. I like long chapters to read but even that's way too long for most.

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 **Chapter 3 - First Trial**

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 **-Muspelheim-**

Surtur learned early in his vastly long life that patience always rewards those that actually employ it. Many would argue that he wasn't patient as he would claim to be most of the time.

And those that he caught in saying so didn't really live much longer after having said that.

But this was finally the proof he needed that the patience he showed in his quest to kill the All-Father and lay waste to all of Asgard had been rewarded. Surtur had never really given up on locating Odin's missing eye. Only a fool would give up seeking a treasure that would grant a god's power to the wielder.

And, only a fool would think that Odin hadn't learned the fate of his eye as Surtur has.

Now was the time Surtur had to be very careful in how to proceed with this information. He knew Odin would demand that his ever-watchful sentinel Heimdall to keep an eye if anyone caught wind of this event or began making moves before Odin went into his Odinsleep.

The only option Surtur had at the moment that would allow for his machinations to do unnoticed would be to approach a potential ally. One that he didn't discover until recently and knew without a doubt they wouldn't hesitate to part of something against the All-Father.

At a secret location in his realm of Muspelheim, Surtur used his ever-increasing knowledge of the dark magics to complete a ritual in order to make contact with someone outside of the Nine Realms. Someone who had been wiped from all records and was whose very existence was denied by the Lord of Asgard.

Someone that Surtur had learned about by the accident in his search for Odin's missing eye.

The ritual required several specially made candles and even his own blood to act as a source of energy source. Surtur knew he could have used any other energy source for this ritual but he knew how to keep it the energy flow subtle enough so as to not gain any unwanted attention.

Surtur watched as the candle smoke formed a circle in front of him. It wasn't long before it became clear that what was within the smoke was a mystical window and the person appearing on the other side was the very person Surtur wanted to speak to.

"Fire Lord Surtur. How expected and unexpected this conversation is."

The demon gave the woman he was speaking to a smile. He was aware that his smile wouldn't do anything to give a sense of ease or increase his sincerity to this woman but this wasn't the time to form an alliance. This was nothing more than a negotiation.

"Queen Zera. It's always a pleasure to meet such a renowned warrior as yourself." Surtur was aware of the woman's skills since the first time he met her, she herself easily proved her prowess as a warrior. If it wasn't for his sword Twilight and his magics, Surtur knew he wouldn't have walked away from that fight without some serious injuries.

Solid proof that she could easily stand against the All-Father just by herself even without the army of warrior women she commanded. A force Surtur would enjoy unleashing upon Asgard when the moment was right.

But before that, Surtur needed to know the extent of Zera's and her warriors' loyalties.

"The reason for this conversation is simple. I'm in need of assistance of a very subtle nature. I have found something that I have been searching for. But it is beyond my reach at the moment. In time, I will find a way to retrieve said item with efficiency."

"Meaning you could retrieve it now but there's no guarantee that what you leave behind will remain by the time you manage to return." Zera said, reminding Surtur that she wasn't someone to underestimate.

"As trustworthy as my soldiers are, there's too many that would usurp what I've amassed the moment they learn I was no longer around to guard what it mine."

Zera gave Surtur a smile that reminded her of something. Something that she had for as long as she could remember detested. "Much like Odin as it were. You two seemed to be two sides of the same coin."

"Call it what you will but what we share in common is our mutual hatred for Odin. I know him to be a coward since he had to sacrifice his brothers to challenge me. You know him to be a betrayer for what he has done to Heven. Truth be told, even I didn't know there was another realm until recently and only by accident but I couldn't contain my surprise that it was the All-Father himself that was behind all of it." Surtur definitely had a smile on his demonic face after speaking that last part.

"Hmm….first the man essentially hires us to protect the humans of Midgard because his Asgardians tend to be too rough for them. Then, I actually go to him to tell him that his enemies wanted to hire us against him and are more than willing to share with him the plans they have laid out against him and his people. He claims we have no honor by offering him such a deal."

"And you learned as I have learned, being called honor-less by the king of all hypocrites, there is no greater insult."

Surtur watched as the queen considered his words and was not surprised at the array of negative emotions flashing through her eyes. The Fire Demon carefully examined the woman that was before him. Her outfit was similar to that of the Valkyries, the women warrior that protected Asgard.

Surtur even fought several of them and they easily fell to his blade but Zera and her warriors were in a different league altogether. It was that knowledge that made sense to Surtur as to why Odin separated this 'tenth realm' from Yggdrasil and erased all traces of their existence from the nine realms.

The Fire Demon never understood the concept of what Asgardians and humans called 'beauty' and from what he saw of Zera, she would fit into that particular category. Her waist-length silvery-white hair flowed freely behind her which might somehow enhance her very curvaceous figure that was shown so easily through the armor that she wore and making it so all weak willed men, Asgardian and otherwise, would be captivated by her appearance.

But Surtur knew better just by looking into her eyes. The kind of danger this woman could bring was easily seen through her emerald eyes.

Zera was contemplated for a few moments more before speaking to Surtur. "If you require our services, you know what we demand for a price."

Surtur decided to test Queen Zera's 'loyalty' by both agreeing to and setting some other conditions that would reveal if and when she would betray him.

"Soon, I'll have the location for the item I seek. Being that it's of an extremely personal possession of Odin himself, this will be something of a race between the two of us. However, I do not want Odin to send his primary killer-son Thor after the item and to ensure that, only one can be sent after the item."

"What makes you believe that Odin won't send his son or even go himself after this item if he has it prized as such?" Zera had heard of the tales of Thor and knew him to be a powerful warrior. It would make the perfect sense to send him after something Odin desired.

"Because soon, both Odin and Thor will be busy with more pressing matters for it is almost time for the All-Father to enter into the Odinsleep. It is a period of time where he must rest to regain all of his powers but it also the time when all of Asgard is at its most vulnerable. That bit of knowledge is free to do with as you please." Surtur knew that Queen Zera wasn't aware of that fact of Odin because before their realm was sealed away, the Odinsleep wasn't a well-known fact as it was now. "It is also the perfect time for one elite warrior of yours to sneak past Odin and Asgard's notice to retrieve the item. The reason I ask for an elite warrior is that I can assure you that no one will notice her going to where the item is but Odin will definitely notice her return and will not hesitate to send forces to intercept her."

Zera didn't bother asking any other questions after hearing that. She could tell that Surtur knew it would take some time to retrieve the item since all he could do was send a warrior there but not to the item's exact location. The Fire Demon's words also told her that he expected the warrior to find the item after the Odinsleep had ended but should she find it sooner, Asgard would easily send some of it's warrior to attack her on her return. One of those warriors could easily be Thor if not Odin himself.

Surtur could have easily kept the information about the Odinsleep and not release it so easily has he had. Whether it was a show of good faith or not on his part, Zera really didn't care. It was because Zera felt that once her army stormed back into Asgard, she could finally finish what was started all those ages ago.

"In one moth, the Odinsleep will begin. I don't have the power to reconnect your realm to all the other realms but you can use my realm as a staging area. You can send in from here an elite strike force to do as much damage or even kill Odin if given the opportunity."

"Isn't that something you wish to do personally? Slay Odin yourself?" Zera asked, her gaze upon Surtur showing that she was gauging the Fire Demon's response very critically.

"Killing the All-Father will take much and that is something I have learned all these centuries. Your entire army may be enough to do so, to lay waste to all of Asgard even but I know you won't send your entire army to any other realm outside of your own unless its to Asgard."

"And what will a strike force do that you are so sure that only my army can do?"

Surtur smile easily became even more demonic looking before he gave the queen his answer. "To remind the All-Father that he has made many righteous enemies and soon, his time will come to an end."

It was at this moment both Queen of the Angels of Heven and the Fire Lord of Muspelheim agreed to an alliance. The payment for sending the best warrior Zera had under her command to retrieve an item that once belonged to Odin was for Surtur to ensure his own forces assisted the warriors she would send when the next Odinsleep occurred. Surtur made the assurance that he would safeguard Zera's warriors arrival and return while also promising that should any warriors fall in battle, their bodies would be return to her.

Both agreed in that there was no sense in leaving proof that an old and forgotten enemy of Odin had returned. At least, not yet.

Before their conversation ended, Surtur did inquire who it was that Zera would choose for what he requested of her. The Fire Demon didn't need any other information other than the name because if it was who he believed her to be, than it was too ironic to pass up.

Zera told Surtur the warrior she would send to the world.

Her name was Angela.

 **-Earth-**

If there was one lesson Hiruzen Sarutobi had learned early on as a Genin, it's that surprises was a part of being a shinobi, no matter if that shinobi was either a gate guard or even a cryptology expert that never even saw any kind of combat. That was the absolute law of surprises. That they always happened no matter what you did in terms of anticipating them in any fashion.

Before today, Hiruzen had a perfect example of being hit hard with a surprise and that was when he was named Hokage successor by the Nidaime. It happened just after the Nidaime said he was going to stay behind in order to hold off the pursuit force that was about to catch up to them. It wasn't unexpected that a Kage would sacrifice himself/herself for the sake of the village since despite the title, they were still a shinobi. Hiruzen had already said that he would stay behind to buy the squad time to get to safety but the Nidaime, his sensei, told him his responsibility was to the village now.

That surprise held much meaning behind it when it happened to him but now, the surprise Hiruzen was just hit with, there was no doubt in his mind the meaning behind this surprise would easily and eventually overshadow that one.

The last time the Sandaime had seen Naruto before now, it was when he caught a glimpse of him walking with an air of confidence which was more than likely a result of passing the first part of the Chunin Exam. At that moment, Hiruzen remembered that there was nothing that even hinted that something extraordinary was going to happen to Naruto, especially this level of extraordinary.

Then again, the old man had to remind himself that Naruto Uzumaki wasn't known as the most unpredictable child, even more so now as a shinobi, from this village for nothing.

"You think after all these years, I should not be surprised that I can still be surprised." Hiruzen said to himself as he looked passively at all the Genin teams that reached this point in the exams

Even Kami himself couldn't have predicted that the next time Hiruzen would see Naruto, Hiruzen would have to keep his face as still as stone and not show how surprised he was at all the changes the boy had went through.

Despite the fact Naruto's clothes were beaten and torn with spots of dried blood and dirt, Hiruzen could see the physical changes underneath the make-shift cloak Naruto was currently wearing that he knew could not happen overnight nor were they any kind of Genjutsu. Naruto had gained some height, 6 inches at least and his overall muscles were more defined than anyone would expect from someone who practically worshiped ramen noodles the moment they learned of the food's existence.

In a way, it was almost as if this is what Naruto Uzumaki would look like after being a shinobi for several years at least. Hiruzen did find it amusing in that it gave him an idea of what Naruto would look like after just coming back from a really tricky mission no less by the look of his current attire.

Hiruzen never subscribed to the idea of coincidences even when he was a child and especially during his entire career has a shinobi before becoming the Hokage. With what happened recently in the Forest of Death, specifically what happened with the World Tree, there was no reason to doubt that somehow Naruto was a part of it at the very least. Maybe he was at the center of it but that at best was an assumption.

As much as he wanted to take Naruto out of the this stage of the Chunin Exams and getting some immediate answers, Hiruzen knew without a doubt that if he did just that, Naruto would be disqualified regardless of the fact of who it was that pulled him from this stage. But more importantly, Hiruzen would destroy the fragile trust he had with him. Hiruzen knew many secrets about Naruto, all of them that could only be revealed when Naruto was strong enough to defend himself more than he had shown.

During the entire time Hiruzen spoke about the origins and purpose of the Chunin Exams, he was debating internally on what his course of action with the blonde teenager should be. Eventually, he came to the conclusion that the best means at the moment to understand the changes that Naruto had undergone would be to see him in action. The second he made that decision, Hiruzen Sarutobi would no doubt see another example as to why Naruto Uzumaki was called Konoha's Most Unpredictable Shinobi.

Maybe it would also help explain why Naruto's right eye was a different shade of blue when compared to his left eye's color. At first, Hiruzen thought that maybe his eyesight were starting to reflect his age or maybe it was a fluke angle of the lights but he was now more than ever certain that Naruto had a new eye.

While the other shinobi of Konoha were going through their own lines of thinking about Naruto, Tsume Inuzuka was of like mind but her line of thinking was more about how fortuitous things had become because of recent events.

That wasn't to say she wasn't surprised when she saw Naruto and had to do a double take, both in sight and smell, just to confirm she was indeed looking at Naruto that wasn't under some kind of genjutsu.

' _Naruto, if you were trying to make sure no one doubted your title of being the most unpredictable, I can't think of any other ideas where all doubt gets put to rest so easily than what I see before me now.'_ Tsume thought to herself.

"Who do you think is more surprised by Naruto's new appearance?" Kuromaru quietly said to Tsume.

"And you're saying you're not one of them?" Tsume quietly replied.

"Practically everyone and every thing in the village knew something was going on in the Forest of Death because of that bright light. But, not everyone can sense what came from that light."

Tsume only nodded in agreement to her partner's words. She learned early on, pretty much the first week the two of them had met, that she had to trust Kuromaru's instincts as much as she trusted him. More than once did her canine partner prove his instincts were sharp enough to 'see' what even a Hyuuga wouldn't be able to see. If ever Kuromaru was surprised, only Tsume could pick up on it and she could tell that her partner was indeed surprised.

Overall, what happened to Naruto might actually be more beneficial than Tsume ever expected. The head of the Inuzuka Clan thought back about the events prior to this point in time.

The Village Hidden in the Leaves has hosted the Chunin Exams before and there were several times where members of the Inuzuka Clan were called upon to track those that failed to make it to the tower with both scrolls in time. Normally, Tsume wouldn't have helped in such a task but being there weren't too many Inuzukas with canine companions available, she really didn't have much choice.

Or at least that's how she played it to the clan elders.

Truthfully, Tsume had wanted a chance to see how well her son Kiba and Naruto would do in this portion of the exam. She understood the meaning behind the first part that Ibiki administered, the hidden dangers of undertaking certain missions. But in Tsume's view, any mission that a shinobi takes always has dangers regardless of what official rank the mission has. This portion of the exam truly tested a shinobi on how to complete the mission and that was what Tsume wanted to know about her son and her daughter's soon-to-be boyfriend.

Before this part of the exam started, Tsume hoped that Naruto and her daughter Hana would start cultivating a relationship beyond friendship. Now seeing the recent changes Naruto had undergone, there were now two things Tsume knew for certain.

The first was the proof of Naruto's lineage was more apparent now than before since Tsume remembered what Minato looked like when he was a teenager. Save for the whisker marks on his face, Naruto was almost a mirror image of Minato as a teenager. His clothes were worse for wear but his face was virtually the same. If other shinobi didn't make the connection when it was now literally staring at them in the face, Tsume swore that their ignorance and hatred insulted the very title of Leaf shinobi they had.

Tsume was aware of the fact Kakashi knew of Naurto's lineage but his efforts, or lack thereof, towards Naruto's development only proved a fact that the Copy Cat Shinobi had no excuse for. Wanting someone to have a normal life is one thing but doing nothing to support an orphan so he could have a normal life is worse. In Tsume's view, Kakashi made an active choice to deny his late sensei's son. Almost as much as Minato's own sensei. Tsume figured that all those porn books both had been through probably burned away whatever intelligence either man had over the years.

The other main thing was even though Naruto was still technically a 13 year-old shinobi, he looked more to be at the age of 17 now.

By the village's laws, any Genin was already considered an adult so at least that particular issue wasn't a concern. The only real concern she had at the moment was that after Naruto won his match, and yes there was no doubt in Tsume's mind that Naruto would win his upcoming match, was how to insure that Naruto and Hana were together during the month of training. The second Naruto stepped out in public, he would definitely get more positive attention from female populace of the village. Tsume remembered that Minato had many women, both civilian and kunoichi, practically chasing after him especially herself included before Kushina.

Somehow, Tsume had a feeling that was something else Naruto had inherited from his father.

By the time Hiruzen finished explaining the purpose of the Chunin Exam, he told those who felt they weren't able to continue were allowed to back out at this time. This got the usual response of the candidates being silent, all showing that they believed in their abilities. Everyone present at the moment did not expect anyone to back out so when Kabuto raised his hand and said he was withdrawing, only Naruto was more surprised than anyone else was.

"Kabuto, why are you backing out? If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be here?" Naruto said in a whisper tone of voice. The different teams weren't supposed to talk to each other, even if they were from the same village.

"Don't take it personal Naruto. You did help me in return, remember?" Kabuto replied.

On the part of Team 7 making it this far in the exam was true. Despite the fact that Naruto had obtained the other scroll needed to complete their last trial, Naruto's mindset, after realizing he was more than ready to kill on instinct, wasn't in the right condition for the current surroundings.

If it wasn't for Kabuto sudden appearance and slapping some sense into Naruto, literally in this case, Naruto wouldn't have realized that his teammates needed his help more than ever at that point. Though Kabuto only slapped Naruto about seven times, the glasses-wearing shinobi didn't openly admit that he came close to what felt like breaking his hand.

Once his mind was back on track, and Kabuto quickly making a make-shift shirt for him to wear since all he had for clothing was the lower half of his orange jumpsuit with only one pants leg intact, Naruto asked Kabuto if he could help him in carrying his teammates to the tower. Kabuto asked that with both of them carrying an unconscious person in their arms, who would defend them as they made their way to the tower.

Though Kabuto has seen it before, watching Naruto create his version of Shadow Clones that were completely and more dangerous than the supposed usual sort was still a surprise for him.

Four Shadow Clones, each with a golden set of armor on them and carrying a different weapon, from a sword to a halberd to an axe and a spiked mace, for protecting Naruto and Kabuto. Again, if it wasn't for their faces resembling Naruto's, Kabuto would have agreed with anyone that these weren't Shadow Clones at all.

These four Shadow Clones proved to be more than even Kabuto could have guessed when he watched them fight firsthand instead of from a distance. A Genin team from the Village Hidden in the Grass has set up an ambush near the tower as a means to get the scroll they needed to gain entry. Though they used their version of Clones to attack Naruto and Kabuto, they were no match against Naruto's Shadow Clones. Kabuto watched the four Shadow Clones fight and could clearly tell that their style of fighting wasn't familiar to him and he had seen many before now.

Especially when one of the Shadow Clones that had an axe weapon easily cut a tree down with one swing and made it fall on a bunch of the Grass Genin's clones. If there was one thing that Kabuto knew for certain about these Shadow Clones, they definitely had a hint of bloodlust in them when they fought. The Shadow Clones remained behind while Naruto and Kabuto made a break for the tower. Kabuto kept an eye on the fight as they ran towards the tower. Kabuto kept an eye on the battle as long as he could and was still amazed at the ferocity of these Shadow Clones which actually forced the Grass Genin to retreat.

The Grass Genin that was holding onto their scroll tossed it at the Shadow Clone when it looked like it was about to kill him with his sword. The Shadow Clone took the scroll and followed after Naruto and Kabuto while the other three made sure the Grass team was indeed in retreat.

Once at the tower, Kabuto did ask Naruto what kind of Shadow Clones he had created but he didn't get much of an answer. All Naruto said was that he was considering not using them ever again. The second he said that, the Shadow Clone with the scroll appeared and handed it to Naruto before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Naruto asked Kabuto if the scroll was the one he needed to complete this portion of the exam. Kabuto said it was and Naruto handed it over without hesitation. Kabuto then said he was going to track down his team and get them to the tower before either the Grass Genin team or some other team took up another ambush position in the area.

Though Kabuto's team made it to the tower, Naruto still didn't understand why Kabuto himself was disqualifying himself.

"Look Naruto, one thing all shinobi must know it is their own limits. I probably could make it past this next round but the chance of getting badly injured is too much of a risk. In fact, I've been fighting with a handicap every since orientation when Dosu hit me with that sound technique from his gauntlet which robbed me of my hearing in my left ear. Also, I know you can tell that most of the Genin here are definitely no real pushovers and aren't likely to go easy on someone when the fighters are allowed to end someone's life to achieve victory." Kabuto said while giving a subtle look at the other teams.

Naruto looked around and saw several Genin that were definitely going to be a challenge. Neji Hyuuga was last year's Rookie of the Year and Rock Lee was a strong opponent from what Naruto had seen earlier between him and Sasuke. Gaara was also someone to be wary of if his first encounter with the Sand Genin was any indication.

However, Naruto was also pleased to see Shikamaru's team among the line-up. He was worried that Ino's injuries might have been too much for her. But even though she was standing with her team, Naruto could still tell Ino wasn't at her full strength. Her body language was enough of a clue to Naruto that she was still recovering.

Naruto also remembered something Hana had told him about knowing your limits and when to overcome them. Sometimes a battle can help break your limits and sometimes intense training can as well. Hana told Naruto that only a true shinobi would know how to discern the difference and only a fool would let their pride blind them.

Kabuto didn't seem like a person in Naruto's view who let their pride get in the way a lot of times. As much as he wanted to convince Kabuto to change his mind, Naruto knew it was ultimately Kabuto's choice in the matter and in such matters, as Hana had told him, it must be a wise choice.

"Do me this one favor, Naruto. Don't lose against the opponents you'll face." Kabuto said while giving a pat on Naruto's right shoulder.

Naruto took that gesture that Kabuto had faith in him and if there's one thing Naruto is known for is proving to those that have faith in him were right to do so.

"I won't lose even if the Hokage was my opponent." Naruto replied,

While Kabuto mostly saw it as an exaggeration on Naruto's part, for a brief moment after hearing it, he also saw it as a possible truth. Though the blonde teenager wouldn't fight the Hokage like he had admitted, Kabuto could tell that if Naruto had an opponent as strong as the Hokage, he would still face such an adversary especially with the odds stacked against him.

Before Kabuto could leave, one of his 'teammates' got close to him and spoke softly to him.

"What are you doing, Kabuto? Have you forgotten Orochimaru's orders?" Yoroi Akado asked. Though it was a question, there was definitely no trace of concern one might expect for someone to ask a fellow teammate that question.

"Funny. I never thought you actually cared about me Yoroi." Kabuto didn't care for his 'teammate' Yoroi and in the long run, he knew Orochimaru didn't either. Only Kabuto knew the true purpose behind their participation in the Chunin Exam, his 'teammates' and the Sound Genin Team. "Look at it like this, you should be more than capable of handling the rest of the mission from here on out. At least you can prove to Lord Orochimaru that you're capable of taking my place."

Kabuto knew Yoroi would take the bait. Most pawns that Orochimaru had in his employ didn't have the necessary foresight to make themselves non-expendable. That was the reason behind members of this fake Leaf Genin Team since the third member, Misumi Tsurugi, had a special ability like Yoroi but he wasn't told it was highly experimental at best and he was going to be the first to use it.

If there was one thing Kabuto knew best about Orochimaru, it was the fact he preferred to test his experiments on the open field more than he probably should.

"Just make sure you don't kill Sasuke if you face him. Lord Orochimaru has big plans for him and they work better when he's alive and not a corpse." Kabuto wanted to mention to Yoroi about the Cursed Seal on Sasuke but his orders from Orochimaru was not to tell the others about that fact if Sasuke survived being given the Cursed Seal.

After giving Naruto a nod in response to his words and began walking away, Kabuto's thoughts still centered on the blonde Genin.

' _Orochimaru said that those of the Uchiha clan possessed unrivaled power because of their Sharingan Eyes. While Sasuke Uchiha is definitely someone to keep an eye on, you've easily peaked my interest Naruto. I can't put my finger on it right now but you've definitely got something that could actually be greater than the powers of the Sharingan and I am not talking about your 'tenant'. Gotta say, I wish I could stick around to see some of this power in action but I've got some important matters to attend to.'_

Just as Kabuto made the turn to exit the hall, he took one last look at Naruto and silently vowed that when the next time they would meet, and it would more than likely be on opposite sides, he was going to thoroughly test Naruto and see what other secrets the Leaf Village's most unpredictable ninja had.

Before the next phase of the Chunin Exam could begin, Hayate Gekkou appeared before Hiruzen and asked that he could take over as the Proctor for the first round of elimination to which the Hokage nodded in response. Upon first look, Naruto actually thought the man had one foot in the grave because of how pale and sickly he looked. But Naruto reminded himself that appearances can be deceiving when it came to being a shinobi. It would be a stretch to act sickly but it wasn't entirely impossible.

"Now, understand that what is going to take place is sudden death elimination. Full contact is allowed. You are allowed to use whatever techniques and tools you currently have in your possession. You win by either incapacitating your opponent, getting him or her to surrender or kill them." That last part that Hayate said definitely got everyone's attention there, including Naruto's.

"While it is permitted, I will be referring the fights which means if I feel if the fight is hopeless, I will stop it to insure that there is no unnecessary lost of life."

' _That's comforting. We can kill each other if the act is in the span of several seconds but if someone is slowly being killed, he'll stop that from happening.'_ Naruto thought to himself when he heard that.

"Now, since there are 20 shinobi present, there will be ten matches with the winners advancing to the final part of the Chunin Exam. The names of everyone present will be randomly selected." Hayate said while turning towards Anko and made a silent gesture to her.

Anko talked on her headset and told the person on the other end to open up a panel on the wall behind them all. On the other side was a monitor where names were fast rotating.

"When your name appears on the screen, you can either participate or withdraw at any time before or during your match. Remember, this is not a training exercise, you are fighting for both the honor of your respective village and your own honor and so will your opponent. Remember that when your name appears."

About ten seconds or so after that was said, the first two opponents appeared on screen. Some of the Genin did show some surprise at the names, including Naruto since he remembered what Sakura had said about that one.

"Will everyone but Shino Aburame and Zaku Abumi please leave the floor." Hayate said while letting out another cough or two when he spoke.

Steadily, everyone did as they were told with the Leaf Genin teams on one side of the arena and the other Genin teams on the other side. When Team 7 settled into their spot, Naruto decided to get several important questions answered from his teammate.

"Why didn't you take yourself out when they asked, Sasuke?" Naruto had kept his mouth shut the entire time even though a part of him was screaming at him to tell the Hokage what had happened in the Forest of Death.

Even now that same part wanted him to scream outloud what he was asking Sasuke but at the moment, the tone of voice being used was barely above a whisper.

"What I do is my business and my business alone, Naruto. Whatever was done to me, I will beat it so long as you don't butt into my affairs." Sasuke said before putting his hand over where the mark was on his neck.

"Oh, get over yourself, Sasuke. You may be this year's Rookie of the Year but even you have to admit that what happened out there in the forest was not something a Genin, Rookie of the Year or not, is capable of dealing with." Naruto was definitely having a hard time keeping his voice low so Kakashi didn't hear what they were arguing about.

Ever since they arrived at the tower with both scrolls, after Sasuke woke up, he became adamant in not telling anyone of what had happened to him. Though Naruto didn't know what Sasuke was talking about at first, he was glad that Sakura told him and in full details. For a good while, that was what all three of them were arguing about and from an outside point of view, no real conclusion was made by the time Kakashi arrived to congratulate them for their success. Kakashi already had his suspicions that something happened aside from the obvious changes he saw in Naruto's appearance and noticing the mark on Sasuke's neck.

Overall, he was more interested in the subtle changes in Sasuke since in his experience, the smallest of changes can easily lead to something significant and that sometimes lead to something significantly dangerous. That and add the fact of what Anko had reported to them about her interactions with Orochimaru, the littlest of details could easily mean the difference for this village.

At this moment, he was listening to them while making it seem he wasn't listening but reading his orange book instead. In his experience, discussions like the one his Genin Team was having, it was best to listen and wait for them to let something slip about something they were definitely trying to keep a secret from him.

While Kakashi listened and committed everything he heard to memory, Sasuke decided to go on the offensive in the argument.

"If you think whatever happened to me is cause for concern, what about you, Naruto? Last I checked, you weren't as tall or as built as you are now. Or how about the fact that both Sakura and I saw you lose an eye in the forest?" Sasuke pointed to Naruto's right eye. "Don't tell us that he missed when he slashed at you since the blood splatter we both saw was too much to be a simple cut and even if it was, where is the cut mark or even the scar?"

Naruto didn't know how to answer that since he didn't even understand the circumstances. The only thing he knew for certain was that his memory was hazy at best after he lost his right eye. He knew something happened between that point in time and when he woke up with his body significantly changed. But whatever happened in-between, Naruto could only recall it as a fading dream at best.

At this point in the argument, there was nothing Naruto could say that could make his point without it being turned around on him as well. Naruto knew he wasn't as smart as most of the graduated Genin were but he knew what a hypocrite was and right now, he was dangerously close to becoming one.

Naruto and Sasuke stared hard at each other, as if testing the other's determination and will in this situation. The air between was getting thick because of their intense stares. So much so that it was actually starting to get the attention of the others in the battle hall, especially the Hokage himself. Sakura did what she could to try and calm the situation but her words were falling on deaf ears.

"Alright, that's enough you two." Kakashi stepped in and made sure to add a little 'killer intent' in his words to ensure he got the two's attention. "Save whatever it is going on between you two for the floor. Besides, if you two don't go when your names are on the board, you're disqualified and I'm sure after everything the three of you have been in, you don't want it to end in that fashion. Do you?"

The Jounin definitely had the full attention of his Genin team when he spoke. Kakashi knew there was a rivalry between Naruto and Sasuke and somehow it was getting more intense. It wasn't a professional-type of rivalry between them, of one shinobi and another. It may have been one in the beginning but now, it changed and not for the better in Kakashi's view.

At the moment, the only way to keep it civil between them was to remind them that the fight they wanted could happen real soon. It was strange, in Kakashi's own view, that he actually wanted a match-up between them to happen in the preliminaries. But he learned long ago what he wanted and what would happen never really coincide at the same time. With his luck, Kakashi figured that Sasuke and Naruto would fight in the main tournament in front of a diverse audience.

While Sasuke decided not to challenge Kakashi's words, mostly because of the subtle killer intent he had put into them, Naruto only stopped because Kakashi was his leader and he would dishonor himself if he did anything else. Naruto did register the killer intent Kakashi used but he didn't feel it for what it was. He only mentally registered as the lightest breeze of wind.

Had Naruto been more aware at that moment, he would have realized two more clues that would lead him to answering the question of what he was becoming.

Once something that resembled a semblance of order among Team 7, all attention was now focused on the fight between Shino and the Sound Genin Zaku. At first glance, it seemed to be a seriously lopsided fight since it was clear that Zaku's arms were basically useless to him. Even when he said he had some workable movement in one of them, Zaku was still short one arm.

It was common understanding among shinobi, even the Genin, that if you had only one arm, your fighting effectiveness is seriously diminished. Even if what caused one of the limbs to be useless was only temporary, the disadvantage it would cause in battle practically assured death to that person if they didn't immediately retreat.

That was the thought among all the shinobi and even the Hokage when the fight began. However, for Naruto, his thoughts on the battle were completely different. Though he didn't know either combatants, Naruto would have said that Zaku wanting to fight despite his handicap was honorable but his body language was telling something else. He was looking for blood and it wasn't a difficult guess as to whose he was after.

Even the stoic Shino's body language was saying something. He may have looked a little laid back with his hands in his coat pockets but Naruto somehow could tell Shino was regarding Zaku as an inferior opponent.

All this told Naruto that either fighter was capable of making a serious mistake at a critical moment. All he could do was watch like the others and see who would make the mistake first.

When the fight began, Naruto and the others were surprised when Zaku fired his Wind Cannon at point-blank range on Shino. Surprised that Shino let it happen since any other Genin would have taken advantage of Zaku's immobile arm and huge hole in his defense right away. Even if Zaku made a strategy to compensate with his bad arm, it still would only work once, maybe twice if he had no back-up. That hinted enough for Naruto that Shino must have something planned.

After the dust settled and Shino got back to his feet, relatively unscathed, Naruto's suspicion that Shino had a plan grew just by the Genin's demeanor alone. However, when Naruto realized that he had that suspicion about Shino, he immediately questioned when he had that suspicion since he realized that was a more forward thinking than he usually does. Naruto shelved those thoughts for another time when the battle between the two Genin on the floor shifted again.

Shino had survived the attack and had already enacted the plan he had made. Naruto remembered hearing that Shino came from a clan of bug users and it wasn't until now that he finally understood why. With an army of insects behind him and Shino in front of him, Zaku was left with very few options that Naruto could see. It was still possible that Zaku might surrender but Naruto could tell that from his eyes he was more than ready to die first than surrender.

Though that was what his eyes were telling everyone that looked into them, but Zaku's next words told everyone that he had an 'ace in the hole'. The arm that was supposedly still broken, Zaku showed that it still worked normally and he aimed both arms at both Shino and his insect army. It was obvious what was supposed to happen next but Naruto somehow felt something was off. Again, Naruto's suspicions were proven correct when he saw that Shino had anticipated the possibility that Zaku could use both arms and had blocked the tunnels of his Wind Cannons.

The result of blocking those tunnels caused a rather violent reaction which in turned caused Zaku to lose both of his arms at the elbow joints. A disgusting sight to be sure and even if he didn't bleed to death, it was clear to all that Zaku's career as a shinobi was more or less finished. It might be possible to reattach the arms but like everyone else there including Naruto, no one didn't see how.

Naruto watched as Shino showed no emotions as he was declared the winner and especially as the medical personnel carted Zaku away. As shinobi, it wasn't common place to show emotions after defeating an enemy. But Naruto felt Shino was acting too cool, like all he did was step on a blade of grass and it left a stain on his sandals. Overall, Naruto had to admit that it was possible Shino was an opponent not to underestimate at any time since definitely had the skills to back up his attitude.

"I must admit, the Aburame attitude still surprises me. To be so calm and cool in battle, it's an admirable trait for a shinobi." Sarutobi said outloud but mostly to himself.

"Always makes me wonder why that attitude can't rub off on the Nara clan. No one can be lazy enough to resist a change in attitude." Anko replied while looking back and forth between Shino and Shikamaru.

"Don't underestimate the Nara clan. The clan is known for being skilled strategists so it stands to reason they would plan out a means to block out outside influences." Tsume said.

"You actually think that the clan would go possibly that far in one of their plans?" Anko asked.

"Wouldn't be a stretch for them." Ibiki replied. Being the Master Interrogator of the village, he had seen much in his time which allowed him to believe that anything was possible given the right circumstances. Especially since he saw what a pervious Ino-Shika-Cho trio could do, namely the parents of the current trio.

"Ibiki is right, Anko." Tsume turned her gaze over to Naruto just long enough before saying "In the world of the Shinobi, nothing is impossible."

When the floor was cleared and wiped clean of the blood from Zaku's exploded arms, all attention was then focused on the monitor for the next two fighters.

 **Misumi Tsurugi vs. Naruto Uzumaki**

Everyone seeing the names on the screen gave mixed reactions. Some were actually worried for Naruto while others were wondering when Naruto was going to lose the fight. Only Tsume Inuzuka wondered how fast Naruto was going to win his match. She had confidence that her son Kiba would win his match but she also felt that a defeat would teach him a better lesson for she felt Kiba was a little too headstrong for his own good.

But in Naruto's case, his victory would mean something much more in Tsume's view.

Naruto himself felt a little indifferent about what was to come. He figured it was probably because he had hoped to fight Sasuke in his first match and everyone else wasn't much of a concern. Strangely enough, Naruto reminded himself that a battle is a battle no matter who the opponent is and as such, never to underestimate any opponent until victory is achieved.

But definitely on a personal note, Naruto couldn't help but feel a growing excitement at the coming battle.

When both shinobi were on the floor, Misumi was the first to start the pre-fight taunt.

"I had heard that of all the idiots of this village, there was a blonde hair, orange loving hyperactive knucklehead that was the king of them all. I know it's you and the only reason you got this far was no doubt because of the Uchiha. How's about you do all of us a favor and just quit now before I break you into too many pieces."

"If words are the only weapons in your arsenal, then you are sorely lacking the means to survive this battle." Naruto said the words but the voice behind them definitely didn't sound like Naruto.

Those that had heard Naruto speak like this before in the Forest of Death recognized it immediately while everyone else only noticed the subtle difference but didn't think much of it. Even Kakashi or the Hokage didn't think much about it since they believed their answers would come soon enough from the fight itself.

"So, you can talk tough. How about we see if you are actually tough too?" Misumi said before taking a stance that had his legs planted on the ground and his arms in a 'x' position in front of him.

It was sudden but Naruto saw Misumi's overall size slightly increase. Before Naruto could ask what was happening to Misumi, he was stunned in how fast Misumi ran at him and then landing a punch right into Naruto's stomach. The punch definitely had power behind it since it sent Naruto flying all the way back to the wall behind him. The impact sound echoed throughout the hall, even in the hearts of some who had witnessed the event.

Naruto fell to the ground on his hands and knees, coughing up blood and trying to catch his breath.

"Hmm, that's rather impressive. Most Genin would have either passed out from the pain or suffer fatal injuries from that strike just now." Misumi's stance easily said to everyone he was confident of his ability and that Naruto wasn't worth his time.

When Tsume heard that, it confirmed what she already thought. There was something not quite right about this 'Leaf' Genin. Even if at face value it could be said that this Genin held some animosity towards Naruto like most of the village, it felt different to Tsume. Like this person was more than ready to kill anyone simply because he could.

' _Naruto, I was a little worried about who you might face but now, I am really worried.'_ Tsume thought to herself before looking over to Kakashi. _'_ _You said it might be fun to watch your team get crushed in the Chunin Exams. Sorry Kakashi, but you've forced my hand in a certain matter.'_

It took some effort but Naruto got back onto his feet. Wiping the last of the coughed up blood from his mouth, Naruto stared hard at his opponent.

"Admirable strength. A shame that only a coward wields it." Naruto said again in a voice that was clearly not his own.

"Ooh, a coward am I? Funny how that is the most common response of someone who…." Misumi didn't finish his sentence before Naruto returned the favor. Just like Naruto, Misumi hit the wall with possibly the same force.

It was almost like a repeat performance but with Misumi now coughing up blood. Unlike Naruto, Misumi had a much harder time to get back to his feet. When he stood back up, he shot Naruto the most murderous look the blonde Genin had ever seen, which said much considering Misumi's glasses were broken and looked comical on his face.

"Now, no tricks, no words. Fists against fists alone." Naruto took up a fighting stance that was unfamiliar to everyone but himself.

"FINE BY ME!" Misumi roared out. He then took a stance and again did what he had did before to increase his overall size.

Misumi charged at Naruto who did the same. Both of them threw a punch which collided, making it sound like almost a crack of thunder inside the hall. Both fighters were pushed back by this but only for a moment before they both again sent another punch at each other but this time, they connected with each other in the face. Though Naruto wasn't really hurt by Misumi's hit, his reach wasn't as long as Misumi which he took advantage of easily enough by sending a power-up kick to Naruto's mid section without breaking his stride.

Naruto lost the air in his lungs just long enough for Misumi to bring both of his hands together above his head and brought them down on Naruto, causing the ground to break severely where Naruto landed. Misumi tried to stomp on Naruto's head but missed only by inches. Naruto managed to get back up on his feet and block Misumi's next attack which was a strong kick that sent him skidding along the ground by his feet. When he stopped, Naruto noticed something right away about Misumi, specifically the arm and the leg that was used to hit him.

It was bigger than his other arm which shrunk back down like the rest of him to its original size. Misumi was breathing a bit heavily at the moment but Naruto knew he wasn't tired yet.

"Now this is something I have to admit. You took several hits, each one having more than enough power behind them to kill a person easily. Even an experienced shinobi like a Chunin." Misumi said while taking note the questioning look on Naruto's face. "I take it you're wondering what it is I'm doing."

"That thought has crossed my mind." Naruto said while cracking his neck back into place. The two headshots had definitely sent a shock down his spine and put a kink in his neck.

"Hmm, might as well tell you since it will be the last thing you'll ever learn. This technique is rather new but it employs the knowledge created by none other than the legendary Tsunade Senju."

Naruto, like everyone else that had heard it, questioned their hearing as well as the validity of Misumi's statement. Misumi easily caught everyone's look of disbelief before he continued.

"Like you, I heard the stories of Tsunade's skills, her superior chakra control and vast array of medical jutsus. She used everything she had learned to create a means of unleashing attacks with superhuman strength behind them. While her technique requires a high degree of chakra control, I've discovered a means to modify it enough to where even a person with even above average chakra control can use it. The only down side is increased muscle mass but believe me when I say this: this is more than even you could ever hope to handle."

Though most who heard what Misumi said believed him to give away too much information, Misumi kept the most important pieces of information of his technique to himself. He didn't think the Genin in front of him would be able exploit the weakness of the technique even if he told him but Misumi wasn't about to make a rookie mistake here and now.

However, hearing what his opponent had said definitely helped Naruto more than Misumi thought possible. No doubt it was going to be hard fight but Naruto knew he could still win.

"You have proven what I've said before, you have strength but you have no courage on how to use it. Without courage, you do not have what it takes to fall a warrior."

" 'Fall a Warrior? You're a Genin, probably the weakest Genin that this village has ever produced. It's a well established fact that the only reason your team even exists is because you have the last Uchiha on it. If you had anyone else, Kakashi would have failed you like he has every other team he was ever presented with. In fact, I bet no one would be surprised by the fact that Kakashi was probably ordered to allow the team to pass regardless of any other facts just because the Uchiha was on the team."

Misumi didn't really care if what he said to Naruto was true or not. He knew all he had to do was plant the seed of doubt inside of Naruto and let the blonde defeat himself. Misumi didn't care if that was the main reason why he beat this knucklehead. A victory was a victory, just as he was taught.

"Whether it be true or not, know that you face someone who has been challenged every day since his birth. I've been held down by words and by force and yet, I have not been broken by any of it like a true warrior. If they have not broken me, neither will you!" Naruto said with a yell before charging straight at Misumi.

Misumi had only a moment to react but he managed to engage his technique in time. Again, the colliding attacks echoed in the battle hall.

Tsume watched with more intensity than before after hearing Naruto's proclamation. His words, though not spoken in his normal voice, easily matched the conviction she had heard from Naruto before. She watched as Naruto matched Misumi's attacks, blow for blow and kick for kick, not giving up an inch of ground when Misumi managed to hit him. She had seen Naruto take hits before during training but she could tell that the power behind Misumi's attacks were more than she believed Naruto could handle or rather, should have been able to handle.

The clear evidence of this was when Misumi landed a punch into Naruto's face and though he held his ground, where Naruto's feet was showed that the ground actually crack from the strike. Tsume looked at Kakashi during this exchange of attacks and saw he was wondering the same thing. How was Naruto still able to stand much less fight back when anyone else would have died from all the hits he was taking?

In truth, Naruto's body was being injured each time he took a hit and it was only though his will that was actually keeping his body strong and allowing him stand so as to fight back. Naruto's will was tapping into the very power coming from his right 'eye' and it was only by the veteran shinobi present that actually took note of the subtle color change in his right 'eye'.

As the fight continued, Naruto could tell that each time he connected with one of his attacks, Misumi was taking damage as well.

But it seemed to both of them that their attacks weren't enough to make the other fall. Misumi was surprised that Naruto was holding his own but was angered as well that the kid was still standing all the same.

' _Time to end this farce!'_ Misumi thought as he brought back a fist and charged it more with his chakra, making it even bigger than it was a moment before.

The punch hit Naruto in his forehead, where his hitai-ate was at. Since it was a piece of solid metal on cloth, for it to be so obviously dented as it was, it would take a blind man not to understand the power behind the punch. Especially when it hit the wall after being knocked off that it was embedded in the wall.

Naruto was dazed by the hit, which Misumi immediately took advantage of. He grabbed Naruto by the collar of his shirt with one hand and used the other hand to hammer into Naruto's face and stomach fast and repeatedly. The sounds of the punches echoed easily enough through the hall. More than enough of a sign to tell the spectators that Misumi wasn't holding back any of his punches.

Some of the spectators watching actually wondered if Naruto was even alive when Misumi tossed Naruto into the air and hit him with probably strongest punch yet in his mid-section. Naruto flew so fast through the air that Hayate only had a moment to get out of the way before Naruto crashed into wall behind him. The significant spider-web crack on the wall was another clear indication as to how strong Misumi's attack was.

The blonde Genin fell to the ground with a heavy thud and was completely motionless. Everyone there all were thinking the same thing when they didn't see or even hear Naruto breathing. Hayate walked over to Naruto to check his pulse. Nothing was said right from the Chunin which almost immediately created the idea in a lot of the spectators that they had just witnessed a death.

Misumi took in a deep breath to calm his heart down and revert to his original size before speaking. "Gotta admit, the pipsqueak did better than anyone else I've gone against."

Misumi looked up at Kakashi. "Thanks for the easy victory. I think it's safe to say that after today you'll never be trusted with another Genin team again if the old Hokage has any sense left."

"And after today, all here will know what it takes to fall someone who is of axe, of sword, of shield." Naruto said getting back on his feet, his right eye actually glowing with a white light. "Who is of wind and of wolf!"

Before anyone could even process the thought of how impossible it was for Naruto to actually get back on his feet, everyone including Misumi barely caught the sight of Naruto almost flying right at Misumi and clothes-lined him at his waist with his right arm and ran fast right into the wall on the opposite side. Misumi was completely overcome by the pain of what Naruto had just done to him, essentially making him a part of the wall itself, but he was able to register what happened to him next. Naruto ripped Misumi out of the wall and the delivered a powerful punch right in his face, sending him flying back into the central area of the hall.

Misumi was slow to move after he hit the ground but he still showed signs of life when he groaned out how he was going to kill Naruto painfully. Naruto himself stared at his opponent, his gaze told everyone he was more than ready to put Misumi down if he continued the fight.

All the spectators, even the Hokage himself, has questions running through their minds after what has transpired in less than a minute.

"Ok, someone tell me how in the world that hyperactive knucklehead is still able to fight. Hell, tell me how he is even standing after that pummeling he just went through." Shikamaru said outloud what almost everyone else was thinking.

"The only thing I can think of is that, maybe, that isn't Naruto. Not anymore at least." Ino said, watching Naruto fight and somehow felt she was watching a seasoned warrior fight, not a rookie fresh out of the academy.

Another thought everyone was having at the same time was when they noticed Naruto's right eye glowing. Even Tsume herself couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was they were looking at.

Kakashi had uncovered his Sharingan eye and instantly noticed several things that were definitely off about what he saw. Though the Sharingan wasn't as effective as the Byakugan in following chakra paths inside a human body in detail, what Kakashi saw actually made him questioned if his Sharingan eye was failing him. Kakashi saw what looked like power flowing from Naruto's right eye into the rest of his body and power itself definitely didn't look like any chakra Kakashi had ever seen before.

Sasuke wasn't using his Sharingan eyes but knew right away what it was keeping Naruto in the fight. He was also sure Sakura was of like mind as well but only Sasuke was angered by this development. The earlier moments in the fight proved that if it was any other of the Genin currently here they would have suffered some serious injuries and either forfeit, pass out or die as an end result. This all meant in Sasuke's mind that if this power the Dead-Last of the academy had kept him in the fight, Sasuke himself would be able to use it better since he was an Uchiha after all.

And his eyes will always be the superior no matter what his idiotic teammate had obtained.

The Hokage knew that after this fight, win or lose for Naruto, he was definitely going to have a conversation with the Genin. He remembered how he had prayed that whatever disturbance that happened within the Forest of Death, Naruto was nowhere near it. Sarutobi should have realized that his track record in making prayers that were answered was abysmal at best. He also should have known that Naruto had a track record of either getting involved or creating situations that no one could accurately predict and what happened in the Forest of Death should have been no exception.

Everyone watched as Misumi managed to pick himself up and looked at Naruto who was calmly walking over to him with a growing murderous rage. If anyone else who had his abilities and had a calm state of mind would have easily figured out one or two strategies for an opponent like Naruto.

But Misumi didn't have a calm state of mind right now. He was about as far from being calm one can be before committing a very messy murder.

Being an agent of Orochimaru as well as having his own pride being on the line, Misumi was more than ready to use his technique far past the safety limit. It would allow him to completely obliterate Naruto but it also risked his own life in the usage of it. In his mind, he wouldn't be able to live with the fact he lost to someone like Naruto anyways. Orochimaru demanded such from his followers and he was notoriously known for discarding anyone that even hinted at being useless.

"I refuse to lose to someone like you! You're a miserable excuse of a shinobi and the only thing you're good for is cannon fodder! I WILL KILL YOU!"

Everyone watched as Misumi called forth all of his chakra to utilize his technique to it's maximum. To see a man actually grow to twice his size and not be part of the Akimichi Clan, it was definitely an impressive feat. The skin color of Misumi turned deep red and his upper part of his clothing broke away including his fighter gloves. The major blood vessels on Misumi's body also grew to the point where it seemed like they were ready to burst through his own skin.

"Um, is he going to explode?" Chouji asked since his clan dealt with physical manipulation of the body and what he was watching seemed outside of what he was currently taught.

"Not sure but it's safe to say this is not going to end quietly." Asuma said while looking back and forth of the two combatants.

Asuma, like most of his fellow shinobi, were aware of Naruto's status as a jinchuriki but something was definitely off at what was happening with him. Then again, not much were known about what a jinchuriki could do other than having extraordinary chakra reserves.

All of everyone watching the fight could do at the moment was watch as someone who grew about three times the size of his opponent. Watch but yet know for some unknown certainty that the fight can still go either way.

Naruto stared at Misumi rather impassively. Like that despite the obvious blaring threat in front of him, it was only a threat to anyone else but him. Even Tsume noticed the look in Naruto's eyes and wasn't quite sure if she should be impressed by the courage in his eyes or worried that it might be disguised arrogance. Naruto had shown on several occasions before now of acting too arrogant and he suffered the consequences each time. The leader of the Inuzuka clan could only hope this time it didn't cost Naruto his life.

Once Misumi reached his maximum in his technique, he brought both of his hands together and hit the ground as hard as he could. The resulting earthquake from the strike definitely shook everything and everyone easily but Naruto still managed to hold his ground. However, enough debris and dust was kicked up into the air and momentarily blocked everyone's vision including Naruto's. Misumi used that momentary advantage by running to the right side of Naruto and threw the strongest punch yet right at Naruto.

Naruto did try to defend himself but the punch was stronger than he had anticipated. The first time Naruto impacted against the wall, he left several cracks as a result. This time, it looked like a kind of crater was formed in the wall and it also made Naruto cough up a decent amount of blood as a result. Misumi continued his rage-filled attack by punching Naruto deeper into the wall. The shockwave from each punch literally shook the people that were on the observation railings so much that most of them had to hold onto the railing to maintain their balance.

"Someone stop them! They'll either kill each other or cause this entire room to collapse!" Shikamaru yelled out while holding onto the railing.

"Who CAN stop them?! The proctor himself is actually backing away from the two!" Chouji replied.

Hayate Gekkou was a seasoned shinobi of Konoha but even he was reluctant to try and stop what was happening. He could tell that Misumi's attack were purely rage fueled and that meant if he did intervene, it was possible Misumi might attack him blindly. Regardless of those facts, Hayate was certain that Naruto was dead anyway since there was not possible way anyone could still be breathing even after taking one of Misumi's attack.

The shinobi on the other side of the battle hall had a better view of what Misumi's actions were. They watched as he pummeled his opponent for several more seconds before he grabbed Naruto by the scalp of his hair, flung him up into the air so Misumi could deliver an uppercut that sent Naruto right up into the ceiling.

For a moment, Naruto hung in the air and was just falling back to the ground before Misumi used the strength of his legs to launch himself right at Naruto and impacted the blonde into the ceiling. Misumi again ripped Naruto from where he was and threw him and this time, right at the ground. Naruto hit the ground head first with an almost sickening thud. No one could tell if Naruto was still alive nor were they given the chance for Misumi finished his assault on Naruto by launching himself again.

Tsume didn't realize it but she actually called out to Naruto when she saw what Misumi was going to do. Her cry was silenced by the noise of another earth-shattering hit. The arena floor had initially taken some severe damage before but now, it looked more like a rock quarry than anything else. At the center of it, there stood only a heavily breathing Misumi and nothing else.

Speculations of what had just happened started flying through everyone's mind but were soon halted when they heard Misumi laughing.

"Like I said, cannon fodder. At least they don't have to worry about burying the body of that idiot." Misumi said, letting out several laughs before coughing up some blood.

It was clear now to everyone that Misumi's technique had serious side effects. But that still didn't really matter much since everyone had pretty much watch someone get killed by it. Misumi himself coughed up some more blood before he spoke up again.

"So, aren't you going to announce the winner of this fight?" Misumi's tone had confidence behind it but there was enough of a hint to tell he was hurting and more than likely it was internal.

Hayate looked at Misumi and where Naruto supposedly was. Even if Naruto wasn't dead, which all evidence was clearly stating that was unlikely, he would be in no condition to even stand up let alone put up a fight.

"The winner of this round is…."

Before he could finish, the ground where Naruto was thought to be exploded. Everyone was surprised by this turn of events and even more so when they watch someone standing up amid the sudden dust cloud.

Naruto clearly had some injuries since there was some blood on the side of his head and a bit coming from his mouth. He was also panting heavily and a bit slouched over but his eyes clearly told everyone he was more than ready to fight.

"That…hurt." Naruto said while staring at Misumi. His right eye glowed as brightly as if one was staring directly into the sun.

"Not possible. You shouldn't even be drawing breath, let alone standing." Misumi actually questioned his eye sight since he knew the blows he dealt to Naruto were more than enough to shatter anyone's bone as if they were made of glass.

"You think you're the first one to ever try to kill me? You think you'll be the one that can accomplish such a feat? Guess what?" Naruto didn't wait for a response before lunging at Misumi and delivering a right hook. Misumi crashed against the wall and collapsed like a rag doll. "I think you're wrong."

Everyone that watched what had just transpired were definitely have a multitude of questions running through their minds. Even those that didn't know anything about Naruto were wondering what he was exactly. For those that truly knew Naruto, knew that he was a Jinchuriki, they were actually wondering if this was the result of containing the power of the Nine Tailed Fox.

Misumi was definitely hurting but it was his pride that was hurting even more at this point in time. If he had lost against anyone else, against a Hyuuga or even the last Uchiha, that much he could probably handle. But against this blonde idiot, there was no way he should have lost to him. Misumi was hurt bad and possibly even dying because of the over usage of his technique. But Misumi also knew that their leader, Orochimaru, wasn't afraid to get rid of anyone who had outlived their usefulness.

In his mind, Misumi had nothing left to live for if he was defeated right here and now. Even the odds of him walking away with a win were next to nothing with everything taken into consideration. He had one last trick up his sleeve but it meant sacrificing his life to do it. If it meant getting rid of Naruto, it would be worth it in the end.

Picking himself up, Misumi struggled to maintain his balance. "Actually, you're wrong. I will be the one to kill you. You may think you're special, that you can prove to be more than what these people here see you. But you're not and you never will be. Now, it's time to do what the Hokage should have done the night you were born."

Misumi reached into his back pouch and pulled out a soldier's pill. His body was already weakened and the soldier's pill after-effects would more than likely finish him off but this was a kamikaze attack he had planned. Once the power rushed into his veins, Misumi brought his hands forwards and did the necessary seal for this final jutsu.

"Forbidden Arts: Death Iron Striker!" Misumi yelled out before putting his fists forward.

The reason this technique was fatal was because it used the iron in the person's blood, amplifying it to the point where the person has the same weight and mass if he were a statue of iron. The drawback of this was obvious for the fact the heart can't pump heavy iron through the body's system or at least not for long. Even the blood vessels themselves couldn't handle the extra workload for long, especially in the brain. At this moment, his body was about to suffer either a stroke or a heart attack or even both but Misumi had enough time for one last strike.

By also increasing his size like he had before, Misumi had now the power behind his attack where all the seasoned shinobi could tell could practically shatter the side of a mountain if he wanted to. This was even made more evident when the ground underneath Misumi's feet actually started to crack under his new weight.

Kakashi noticed this and was about to step in to stop the fight but was halted immediately by Tsume.

"What are you doing? Naruto's about to be killed." Kakashi tried to free his arm from Tsume's grip but it was solid.

"And whose fault is that? Didn't you say it would be fun to watch them get destroyed in the Chunin Exams?"

Tsume's words were instantly heard by both Sasuke and Sakura. They looked right at Kakashi to see his response, to see if what the Inuzuka Clan leader had said was true. Kakashi 's expression didn't change but he didn't even made an attempt to reply. The only reply came from Tsume.

"The Chunin Exams are not meant for any kind of amusement for you or anyone else and I hope you understand that now. Beside, Naruto would never forgive you if you did. This is Naruto's fight, not yours." Tsume did her best to keep her voice even but she was just as worried as Kakashi was at the moment.

Everyone watched as Misumi practically became a giant iron statue-version of himself and charged at Naruto one last time. Naruto stood his ground despite the fact each step Misumi took shook the ground. Each step was even felt up by those up on the observation railing. It was like an iron boulder was rolling right at Naruto who didn't even flinch as it got closer. But Naruto's body language alone told that he was more than ready for what was to come.

When Naruto began to focus his gaze at his opponent, his right eye began to glow again. The light slowly flowed down to Naruto's right arm and to his hand. The second Misumi cocked back his right fist, Naruto did the same and ran right at Misumi. In the span of several seconds, both combatants got within striking distance of each other and they both attacked at the same time.

The collision of their fists hitting sent a concussion-shock wave that knocked everyone up against the wall when it hit them. Gaara's sand even came to his defense to protect him from the shock wave. Even Hayate was blown back and he probably got the worst of it being on the ground level. The dust didn't clear right away and everyone didn't get back to their feet as quickly as they could have. When the aftermath of what had happened finally became clear, even the Hokage had a hard time believing what he was seeing.

Misumi, or what was left of him, still stood where he had execute his last attack. His right arm that he used was gone.

Well, not gone completely upon closer examination.

It was in pieces on the floor but there wasn't any blood coming from the wound or even the pieces themselves. He was as still as a statue since the only thing that was still moving was the remains of his clothing.

It would take time to find out exactly what happened to Misumi but it was clear he was dead. It seemed on just visual examination alone that the end result of using this justu made the person more iron than flesh.

Naruto, who had been standing like nothing had happened to him, was eventually declared the winner by Hayate.

The arm Naruto used for his attack easily showed it had suffered significant injuries. His hand alone was about as bloodied as it could probably be but he also had significant lacerations along his forearm which was probably a result of being near the collision point.

Eventually, when Naruto realized he was declared the winner, his expression softened some. From the hardened fighter to what everyone that knew him recognized to be his usual expression. Eventually, the expression changed again and since it was Naruto, it was almost unrecognizable since those that knew Naruto never would have expected to see it on his face. Tsume recognized it since she herself had seen it before on several shinobi including her own clansmen.

The look that told others that the person realized they were capable of something they themselves didn't think possible.

Tsume had learned enough of Naruto to know that the teenager wasn't the kind of person capable of taking a life at this point in time. In time, maybe if the situation called for it but Naruto was more like a protector than a career shinobi in Tsume's view. She saw nothing wrong with someone wanting to be a protector and still be a shinobi, considering the career of one Asuma Sarutobi.

With this new power that was coming from his right eye, it was more than possible for Tsume to see Naruto to become a greater legend than his father. For the sake of Minato's son, Tsume had to act now especially after everything that has happened.

The only question Tsume had at the moment was how much of a fight Kakashi would put up to keep his 'student'.

After several moments had passed, mostly so those who had watched could fully absorb the events that had transpired in front of them, Tsume and her canine companion, Kuromaru, appeared next to Naruto and quietly led him away from the battle hall so as to take care of his badly injured arm. Kakashi was about to make an objection but Tsume shot him a look that easily told him that it wouldn't be the wisest course of action at the moment. Even Kuromaru sent a low growl at Kakashi, which may have been a too subtle for most outside of the Inuzuka Clan to understand but Kakashi got the message loud and clear.

Kiba notice how his mother was showing a little more affection towards Naruto than she had ever shown to him. Even Akamaru notice this when he barked at Kiba.

"Mom didn't get to being the leader of the clan by being foolish, Akamaru. She's up to something with Naruto but I have no idea what it could be."

Akamaru barked a couple of times before Kiba replied. "That's kind of stretching it bit. We know Naruto and my sister Hana are friends but why would my mom want Naruto to hook up with my sister?"

There were many other conversations taking place about what just happened. Even more so with those that were watching with other intentions in mind.

Hiruzen did notice the silent conversation between his two Leaf Jounins. After all the years of being a shinobi himself before becoming the Hokage, Hiruzen had learned how to understand what was said when no spoken words were used. He was aware that Tsume had some sort of relationship with Naruto and at the moment, it seemed a certain theory he had kept to himself was gaining credence. Hiruzen had no doubt that Tsume was aware of Naruto's lineage and being the most vocal members of the council, it was easy to tell the woman was up to something in regards about Naruto.

Hiruzen let out a tired sigh at what possibilities were entering into his mind at what course of actions Tsume was going to take. The only thing Hiruzen knew for certain was what his sensei had told him back when he was a Genin

'The only easy day was yesterday.'

Whatever was going to happen, the Hokage would deal with it as it happened like he did with almost every other unexpected turn of events: find a solution and pray the paperwork in regards to it wasn't too big.

Once Tsume was sure that she was alone with Naruto and told her canine partner to stay on the lookout for any eavesdroppers, the mature woman decided to help the teenager through a life lesson he was now experiencing.

"What happened, Naruto, wasn't your fault." Tsume said to Naruto while tending to his injured arm. When the blonde teenager looked her, Tsume continued. "When someone is determined to end your life at the cost of their own, you can't blame yourself for the choices they've made."

"It's not that." Naruto replied while looking away from Tsume. It wasn't hard to tell that Naruto was ashamed of himself even if it he hadn't said a word.

As Tsume continued to bandage up Naruto's injured arm, she split her attention between talking to Naruto and noticing what was happening to his arm. It was slight but she could see that Naruto's arm was beginning to heal. Almost as fast as someone trained in medical ninjutsu who was healing the wound. It was possible that the Nine Tailed Fox was behind it but something was telling Tsume that wasn't the case here.

It was after several more moments of silence before Naruto spoke up again. "I….felt myself….I don't know how to best describe it. I….I didn't want to kill him but I wasn't afraid TO kill him."

Tsume could easily guess what Naruto was getting at. "And it felt natural to you, didn't it? Being prepared to kill him if it came to it."

Naruto only nodded in reply, still showing obvious signs of shame. "Naruto, I want you to look at me."

With their eyes locked, Tsume spoke to Naruto in tone that was both serious and comforting. "In the heat of battle, anyone from a simple bandit to the most experienced shinobi will have their own survival instinct screaming at them on what to do. Many people do not know how to control their survival instinct, to keep it calm and collected as they themselves must be in a fight. Because of that, people will listen to whatever their survival instinct tells them to do. Even when it tells them that killing their opponent is an acceptable course of action."

"But...but...but..I mean..." Naruto heard what Tsume said but it didn't seem to ease the swirl of emotions within him.

"Naruto, the fact that you hate how you felt after experiencing that feeling shows that it wasn't a decision you would truly make. There's a reason why the phrase 'heat of the moment' has the most significant meaning for shinobi than it does for others."

Tsume watched as Naruto let her words sink into his heart. While the woman saw within the teenager's eyes that her words were reaching him, she also took note about the fact that an up-close look told her that his right eye wasn't the same as his left. Tsume filed that bit of information into the back of her mind for later.

Right now, she wanted to help Naruto learn this particular lesson properly about being a shinobi, at Leaf Shinobi at least. "If we lose ourselves in the heat of the moment, we easily burn once the moment has passed in ways we never expected or even remotely prepared to face. It is in that same moment that our emotions run high and hard as well as crashing into each other making it so what we think we feel is not what we truly feel."

Tsume could see the dawn of realization appear in Naruto's eyes. "As Fate would say to those who fight, 'we cannot weather this storm before us. The honorable warrior would reply with a strong heart and mind to Fate and say, 'I am the storm.'"

She had heard Naruto speak during the fight and couldn't help but notice that it didn't really sound like it as Naruto who was speaking. This time, it did sound like it was Naruto who said those words to her. But Tsume couldn't shake the feeling that he somehow speaking from knowledge that was gained over a lifetime on being on the battlefield.

Naruto took in a couple of deep breaths, closed his eyes and then opened them to show he had steady himself internally. His internal conflict was resolved and Tsume could see the same determination she had always seen in Naruto's eyes back at full strength.

"Thank you, Lady Inuzuka. I knew there were going to be some trials on the road to being the Hokage. Guess I got a lot to learn before I earn the title." Naruto said while giving Tsume one his genuine smiles that even she knew few had seen.

Tsume smiled back before ruffling up Naurto's hair like she usually did with him and her son. "How many times have I told you about calling me 'Lady Inuzuka'?"

"That it makes you feel old despite you claiming you're still in your prime." Naruto replied in an almost automatic response.

"And don't you forget it. Now, lets get back to the hall and see who else is going to make it past these bouts."

Naruto only nodded happily in response before he took off in a sprint back towards the arena. Tsume watched as the teenager disappeared from sight with a smile on her face. One of her worries about Naruto's sudden change was laid to rest. As different as he looked now, Tsume could tell that he was still Naruto Uzumaki to his very core.

Before she followed suit, Tsume looked at her canine partner and sent him an unspoken questioning look. Kuromaru could tell what it was that Tsume was asking.

"Whatever changed him, the source is definitely his right eye and…."

Tsume noticed that Kuromaru was confused before he spoke again. "The best way to describe what I feel in your language is that its both primal and ancient."

Like almost every person that lived or visited the Hidden Leaf Village heard the stories about the World Tree within the Forest of Death. And just like everyone else, no one ever went near the tree. Even during her Genin days, she and her Genin teammates never went even remotely near the tree. They all felt something, some kind of force coming from the World Tree that easily gave them the impression it was within their own survival interest not to go anywhere near it.

"The day Naruto was born, the Fourth Hokage sealed the Nine Tailed Fox within him to save the village from certain destruction. Almost every legend about the Nine Tailed Fox say it's a demon from ancient times who can cause tsunamis to happen or level mountains with just a swing from one of it's tails."

"And now, Naruto has something that's even more ancient than the demon itself become a part of him as well. But that's not the interesting thing about Naruto now, is it, Tsume?" Kuromaru said while looking at his partner.

Tsume only looked at Kuromaru who in turn spoke what it was both of them agreed upon.

"It seems that no matter what, Naruto Uzumaki will always be Naruto Uzumaki."

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Quick Author Note: The main reason why I'm changing some of the fights in this part of the Chunin Exams is because of several reasons with the main reason is to change the setting after this is over. Specifically the month of training that takes place later. This chapter may seem like I'm Kakashi-bashing but there will be a reason for this made clear in the up coming chapters.

Anyways, read and review plz.


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